APC Slams ADC Chieftain Over Military Rule Claim

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to remarks made by Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), about a recent Supreme Court verdict. Okonkwo suggested that President Bola Tinubu could now “rule Nigeria with the military” after the court’s decision on the emergency rule in Rivers State. The APC labeled those comments “reckless and misleading.”

According to APC spokesman Mogaji Seye Oladejo, the Supreme Court’s ruling was a lawful interpretation of the Nigerian Constitution and did not suspend democracy in Rivers State. He stressed that, while court decisions may sometimes disappoint political actors, they are binding in a constitutional democracy. Oladejo noted that a Supreme Court judgment represents the highest expression of constitutional authority and is neither a military fiat nor an executive directive.

Oladejo also pointed out that President Tinubu has neither sought nor exercised extra‑constitutional powers, citing his democratic credentials and his history of opposing military dictatorship. He accused Okonkwo of trying to delegitimize the judiciary and to sow fear by implying that the president would govern through military proxy.

The APC views Okonkwo’s comments as part of a broader pattern of opposition rhetoric in which unfavorable court verdicts are met with accusations of dictatorship and attempts to undermine confidence in the courts. The party warns that such discourse poses a significant danger to Nigeria’s nascent democracy. Oladejo reiterated that Nigeria remains a constitutional democracy governed by laws, institutions, and the separation of powers, with the military under civilian control as prescribed by the Constitution.

The Lagos APC has called on Nigerians to condemn the opposition’s rhetoric, describing it as a new low. It reaffirmed that Supreme Court verdicts are instruments of justice that strengthen, rather than destroy, democracy. The party’s response underscores the ongoing debate about the judiciary’s role in Nigeria’s democratic system and the need for political actors to respect the rule of law.