The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s capacity to continue as Nigeria’s President, citing what it described as a growing pattern of appointment controversies, policy reversals and alleged loss of control over his administration.
The opposition party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, called on the National Assembly to investigate whether the President remains capable of effectively exercising the constitutional powers of his office.
The ADC’s position followed the reported leadership crisis at the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), which the party said raised concerns over the authority of presidential directives and who controls decision-making within the administration.’
According to the party, the situation suggests that some unelected individuals may be interfering with the President’s constitutional powers to appoint and remove public officials.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is deeply alarmed by yet another bizarre episode in the affairs of the Federal Government, where a man publicly removed from office by presidential directive reportedly continues to occupy that same office and still hold meetings with senior officials of the same government,” the statement read.
“If the reports concerning the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) are true, then this is no longer about one disputed appointment. It is about something far more disturbing: who is actually in charge of the Nigerian Presidency?
“When a President announces the appointment of one person and another simply ignores that directive and carries on in office, Nigeria is no longer witnessing administrative confusion. We are witnessing a struggle for control of the Presidency itself.”
The ADC said the BCDA controversy was not an isolated incident, pointing to the earlier controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which it claimed operated despite not having formal recognition as a government agency.
The party alleged that the developments point to a Presidency where official decisions are being challenged by competing interests.
“Taken together, these episodes reveal a Presidency steadily losing its monopoly over one of the most fundamental powers of government: the constitutional authority to appoint and remove public officers.
“Today, Nigerians no longer know whether an appointment announced by the Presidency is final, whether a dismissal actually takes effect, or whether someone somewhere possesses a superior authority capable of overruling presidential decisions without explanation,” the statement added.
The opposition party further accused the administration of President Tinubu of being characterised by policy reversals, citing the suspension of the Cybersecurity Levy, withdrawal of the Expatriate Employment Levy and other government decisions that it described as inconsistent.
“This is made even worse by a disturbing pattern of public reversals that has become the defining feature of this administration. From the hurried suspension of the Cybersecurity Levy after nationwide outrage, to the withdrawal of the Expatriate Employment Levy following resistance from investors, to repeated policy summersaults and contradictory government announcements across several sectors, Nigerians have become accustomed to a government that announces first, retreats later, and explains afterwards,” the ADC said.
The party warned that inconsistent government decisions could undermine public confidence, investor interest and the effectiveness of public institutions.
“At this point, Nigerians deserve answers that go beyond carefully managed press statements. Who is exercising the constitutional powers of the President? Who authorises appointments? Who countermanded the President’s directive at the BCDA, if indeed it has been countermanded? Who permitted a fictitious agency to masquerade as an arm of the Presidency? These are not opposition questions. They are constitutional questions.
“They go directly to the integrity of executive authority and the stability of our nation.”
The ADC urged the National Assembly to exercise its oversight powers and investigate whether President Tinubu is fully capable of carrying out his constitutional responsibilities.
“In view of the grave constitutional implications of these repeated episodes, the National Assembly should immediately exercise its oversight responsibilities and invoke the relevant constitutional provisions to satisfy itself that the President remains fully capable in body and sound mind to discharge the duties of his office and that the powers vested in him by the Constitution are being personally exercised by him, not appropriated by unelected interests operating behind the scenes,” the statement said.
The party added that if the President could no longer maintain control over his administration, resignation would be the appropriate step.
“If President Tinubu is unable to assert control over his own Presidency, then the honourable course is to acknowledge that reality and resign. Nigeria cannot afford a Presidency where nobody knows who is truly in charge,” the ADC stated.
