The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of diverting public attention from the country’s economic and security challenges by focusing its attacks on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar instead of addressing issues affecting Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party alleged that the APC was attempting to make the 2027 general election revolve around personalities because it could not defend the performance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
According to the ADC, the ruling party shifted its attention to Atiku after recent remarks by the Catholic Bishops on the nation’s worsening economic conditions and insecurity, rather than responding to the concerns raised.
The party said, “APC wants the 2027 election to be about personalities because it can not defend its performance. They want this election to be about Obasanjo’s personal opinion of Atiku based on a distant past because they can not defend Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s record based on current performance.”
The ADC argued that instead of responding to criticisms over poverty, inflation, insecurity and the rising cost of living, the APC had resorted to attacking those expressing concerns about the state of the nation.
It stated that criticism of the government should not be met with political attacks, insisting that Nigerians deserve explanations on the country’s current economic and security situation.
The statement read, “Whenever respected Nigerians point to the deepening poverty, worsening insecurity, rising cost of living, or the collapse of public confidence under this administration, the APC never answers for its record. Instead, it looks for someone to attack. Yesterday, it was the Catholic Bishops. Today, it is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Tomorrow, it will be someone else.”
The opposition party maintained that the current administration had devoted more energy to responding to critics than providing solutions to the challenges confronting citizens.
While acknowledging that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was entitled to express his views on Atiku Abubakar, the ADC said such opinions could not erase what it described as the economic achievements recorded during the Obasanjo administration when Atiku served as Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council.
The party argued that Nigeria experienced stronger economic growth, greater macroeconomic stability, improved investor confidence and a more affordable cost of living during that period compared to present realities.
The ADC further challenged the APC-led government to provide answers to what it described as pressing national concerns.
It asked, “Why has the prices of food and basic necessities continue to soar despite proclaimed economic growth? Why have more Nigerians fallen into poverty under your watch than at any other period in Nigeria’s history? Why have you failed to translate your so-called economic growth into jobs? Why have you borrowed more money than any other government in the nation’s history with nothing to show for it? Why is your government spending 69% of its revenue just to service debts (whereas the World Bank describes any debt service-to revenue above 22.5% as dangerously high). Can the APC explain why communities across the country continue to live under the constant threat of bandits, terrorists and kidnappers while hundreds are still held in kidnappers’ den?”
According to the party, these are the issues that should dominate public discourse as the country approaches the next general election rather than political exchanges over personalities.
The ADC concluded that the outcome of the 2027 presidential election would ultimately depend on the experiences of Nigerians.
It stated, “Ultimately, the election will not be decided by the opinion of any one individual. It will be decided by the lived experience of more than 200 million Nigerians who are poorer, more insecure, and more uncertain about their future than they were before the Tinubu administration took office.”
