THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has stirred fresh political debate in Nigeria’s evolving democratic space, declaring that Nigerians are allegedly determined to vote President Bola Ahmed Tinubu out of office in the 2027 general elections. The party also accused the administration of implementing “policies that have ruined lives and destroyed livelihoods,” intensifying the already heated political discourse ahead of the next election cycle.
In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria late on Friday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, urged President Tinubu to shift his attention away from ridiculing opposition voices and instead focus on what he described as the growing dissatisfaction among citizens.
He stated that the President should be more concerned about what he termed the widespread rejection of his administration by Nigerians across different sectors of society.
“He should be deeply concerned that the majority of Nigerians have rejected his government, whose ill-conceived policies have ruined lives and destroyed livelihoods,” the statement reads.
“These are the reasons he should be scared, because the people are determined to vote him out.”
The ADC’s reaction came in response to comments made by President Tinubu on Thursday at the State House during a meeting with the Renewed Hope Ambassadors. At the event, the President expressed confidence in his political standing, dismissing concerns over mounting opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
“They want to scare me off? It’s a lie. I’ve been through this path before,” the president said.
However, the ADC strongly disagreed with the President’s remarks, arguing that his comments reflect a leadership that is increasingly detached from the daily realities facing ordinary Nigerians.
According to Abdullahi, what Nigerians witnessed was not the assurance of a confident leader but rather what he described as “the anxiety of a president increasingly disconnected from the reality of hardship, insecurity, and frustration facing millions of citizens.”
“What Nigerians saw was not the confidence of a leader in control. It was the anxiety of a president increasingly disconnected from the reality of hardship, insecurity, and frustration facing millions of citizens,” he said.
He further noted that at a time when citizens are grappling with what he described as a historic cost-of-living crisis, rising food inflation, increasing debt burdens, and declining purchasing power, the President’s focus on opposition politics was misplaced.
“At a time when families are battling a historic cost-of-living crisis, food inflation, rising debt burdens, and collapsing purchasing power, the President chose to mock the opposition instead of addressing the suffering of Nigerians,” Abdullahi added.
He also painted a grim picture of the country’s security situation, alleging that insecurity was worsening and becoming more embedded in daily life. He pointed to reports circulating at the time of children being abducted from examination centres as evidence of the deepening crisis.
“However, even as he spoke, reports of children being abducted from examination centres were circulating. This is the reality of today’s Nigeria, insecurity spreading deeper into everyday life while the government appears distracted,” he said.
The ADC spokesperson further maintained that the President’s comments were unpresidential, arguing that they reflected a leadership more focused on political contestation than the welfare of citizens facing worsening economic and security challenges.
“The issue before the country today is simple: hardship is rising, insecurity is worsening, debt is mounting, and hope is fading. No amount of political theatre can hide that truth,” he said.
In another pointed response, Abdullahi also addressed President Tinubu’s remarks concerning the ADC’s national convention, which the President allegedly referenced as being held “on the street.”
He dismissed the claim, insisting that it was inaccurate and possibly influenced by misinformation.
“We did not hold our convention on the street. If that was the story supplied to the President by agents of disruption, then he has been misinformed,” Abdullahi said.
However, he added that even in such a scenario, Nigerians would understand the circumstances surrounding opposition activities in the country, suggesting that democratic space has significantly narrowed under the current administration.
“But even if any opposition party were forced to gather outside established venues, Nigerians would understand why. Under this administration, democratic space has shrunk significantly,” he said.
He further alleged that no government in recent history had restricted opposition parties from accessing public facilities such as Eagle Square, which he described as a national civic space meant for all Nigerians, not the exclusive preserve of any ruling party.
“No government before now had denied political parties fair access to public venues such as Eagle Square, a national civic ground that belongs to all Nigerians, not to any ruling party,” Abdullahi concluded.