The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said President Bola Tinubu has every reason to be scared because of the defeat that awaits him in the 2027 presidential election.
ADC made this remark on Friday in response to a statement credited to President Tinubu on Thursday, that he was scared of opposition political parties.
According to the coalition party, the president would be contesting against millions of Nigerians who have faced unprecedented hardship under his government.
In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said Tinubu’s mood at the All Progressives Congress (APC) meeting in the Villa betrayed a leader who had lost confidence in himself.
“It was the anxiety of a president increasingly disconnected from the reality of hardship, insecurity, and frustration facing millions of citizens,” ADC added.
The party noted that while Tinubu was addressing his party members, “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 government appears distracted.”
Instead of ridiculing the opposition, ADC advised the president to be concerned with the rejection of his government by Nigerians due to the ill-conceived policies of his government that have ruined lives and destroyed livelihoods.
“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.
“These are the reasons he should be scared, because the people are determined to vote him out,” the ADC said.
It accused President Tinubu of shrinking democratic space in Nigeria, stating that no government before now had denied political parties fair access to public venues such as the Eagle Square, a national civic ground that belongs to all Nigerians, not to any ruling party.
ADC said Tinubu cannot preach separation of powers “while simultaneously assuming the role of interpreter of the law, political referee, and commentator on judicial matters.”
The party argued that if the president truly respected the separation of powers, Nigerians would not have witnessed the repeated weakening and humiliation of institutions meant to serve as checks and balances.
“The legislature, in particular, has too often appeared reduced to an extension of executive convenience,” the party noted.
According to the ADC, Tinubu’s recent attempt to ingratiate himself with the supporters of late President Muhammadu Buhari amounts to hypocrisy.
It noted that after years of distancing himself from the late president and denigrating his record, “blaming him for every failure of his government, it is hypocritical to suddenly make a U-turn because of the coming election. It is too late.”
ADC stated that the issue before Nigerians today is rising hardship, worsening insecurity, high debt profile, and fading hope, and reminded President Tinubu that no amount of political theatre can hide that truth.
The party said it focused on building a credible alternative anchored on competence, security, prosperity, and democratic freedom.
“Nigerians deserve better than excuses, propaganda, and power games,” it added.
