The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged the National Assembly to cite constitutional provisions to ascertain whether President Bola Tinubu is still fit to discharge the duties of his office, alleging that the president has lost control of his government.
The opposition party also alleged that unelected interests may be exercising presidential powers, unknown to the man elected by Nigerians to preside over the affairs of the nation.
The party made the call in a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, following the controversy surrounding the reported leadership dispute at the Border Communities Development Agency.
According to the party, reports that an official allegedly removed by presidential directive continues to occupy office and hold official meetings raise fundamental questions about the authority of the president and the integrity of executive decision-making.
“If the reports concerning the 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?” the party asked.
It argued that when a presidential appointment or removal can allegedly be ignored without consequence, “Nigeria is no longer witnessing administrative confusion. We are witnessing a struggle for control of the presidency itself.”
The party maintained that the BCDA controversy was not an isolated incident but part of what it described as a growing pattern of confusion within the Tinubu administration.
The ADC recalled the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which it described as a “phantom” agency that allegedly operated at the highest levels of government despite lacking official legal status.
It also pointed to a series of policy reversals by the administration, including the suspension of the Cybersecurity Levy after widespread public opposition and the withdrawal of the Expatriate Employment Levy following resistance from the business community. According to the statement, the repeated reversals have weakened public confidence in government decisions.
“A government that cannot consistently stand by its own decisions gradually loses not only credibility, but authority. Investors become uncertain. The bureaucracy becomes confused. Public institutions begin to test the limits because they no longer know whether today’s directive will still exist tomorrow,” the statement added.
The ADC said Nigerians deserve clear answers on who currently exercises the constitutional powers of the president.
“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,” it added.
The opposition party warned that uncertainty over the finality of presidential directives could undermine investor confidence, weaken public institutions and erode confidence in governance.
It therefore urged the National Assembly to immediately exercise its oversight responsibilities by invoking 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 party further stated that if President Tinubu is no longer able to assert authority over his administration, “the honourable course is to acknowledge that reality and resign.”
The statement follows reports of a leadership dispute at the Border Communities Development Agency after conflicting claims emerged over the agency’s leadership despite an earlier announcement from the presidency regarding appointments.
The controversy has revived public debate over the consistency of appointments and policy implementation under the Tinubu administration.
In recent months, the Federal Government has reversed or suspended several major policy decisions, including the proposed Cybersecurity Levy and the Expatriate Employment Levy, following widespread criticism from citizens, organised private sector groups and investors.
