The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the National Assembly to investigate whether President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains fit to discharge the duties of his office, following controversies surrounding appointments and leadership changes in some federal agencies.
The opposition party alleged that the reported leadership dispute at the Border Communities Development Agency indicated that the President had lost control of his administration.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the controversy raised questions about whether presidential directives on appointments and removals were still being obeyed.
The party also cited the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and a series of Federal Government policy reversals as evidence of what it described as growing confusion within the Presidency.
The party expressed concern over reports that an official publicly removed from office by presidential directive continued to occupy the position and hold meetings with senior government officials.
It said the development, if confirmed, went beyond a disagreement over an appointment and raised broader constitutional questions about the exercise of presidential authority.
“The African Democratic Congress 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.
The ADC argued that where a President announces a replacement but the affected official remains in office, the situation suggests a struggle over control of the executive arm.
“If the reports concerning the Border Communities Development Agency 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?” the party asked.
The ADC said the BCDA dispute could not be treated as an isolated incident, pointing to the earlier controversy involving the purported PFIPC.
The party described the council as a “phantom” agency that allegedly operated as though it were a legitimate arm of the Federal Government despite official claims that it did not exist.
According to the party, the controversy only attracted significant official attention after allegations emerged linking the self-styled head of the council to senior officials in the Presidency.
The ADC said the incidents had created uncertainty over whether appointments and dismissals announced by the Presidency were final.
“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,” it stated.
The opposition party alleged that unelected individuals and competing interests had begun to interfere with the President’s constitutional powers to appoint and remove public officers.
It said official announcements appeared to be competing with unofficial centres of influence within the administration.
“Effectively, the Tinubu administration has become a place where official announcements compete with unofficial power, where competing interests fight over appointments and patronage,” the ADC said.
It added that the Presidency, like the economy and security situation, was beginning to resemble a system governed by “the survival of the fittest.”
The party also criticised what it described as repeated policy reversals by the Tinubu administration.
It cited the suspension of the cybersecurity levy after public criticism and the withdrawal of the expatriate employment levy following opposition from investors.
The ADC said frequent reversals and contradictory announcements had weakened public confidence in government decisions.
“A government that cannot consistently stand by its own decisions gradually loses not only credibility, but authority,” it said.
The party argued that such uncertainty could unsettle investors, confuse civil servants and encourage public institutions to disregard directives because they were unsure whether the decisions would remain in force.
The ADC called on the National Assembly to exercise its oversight powers and determine whether the President remained capable of carrying out his constitutional responsibilities.
It said lawmakers should establish whether powers vested in the President were being personally exercised by him or appropriated by unelected officials behind the scenes.
