The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said that the recent reform measures by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government are driven by fear and political panic in response to the growing influence and credibility of the opposition coalition.

In a statement issued by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC questioned why it took the emergence of a strong opposition alliance for the government to begin addressing food security and economic concerns affecting millions of Nigerians.

Abdullahi was reacting to a statement made by President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Ononuga, who had announced via a tweet that the administration had removed bottlenecks stalling progress on food sovereignty and exports.

But the ADC insisted that the government’s latest moves were not motivated by compassion or sound policy but by the fear of political consequences.

“Without the pressure mounted by the unveiling of the opposition coalition last week, this government would have continued with its calculated indifference to the suffering of the Nigerian people,” the statement said.

Abdullahi accused the APC of engaging in a “scramble for survival” and described the reforms as a “bare minimum” effort prompted by fear of electoral backlash in the 2027 general elections.

He added: “This is not reform. This is not leadership. This is a scramble for survival by an administration that has been cornered by its own failures.”

The ADC said that what spurred the Tinubu administration into action was not the hunger of millions of citizens but the realisation that Nigerians are rallying behind a united opposition.

According to Abdullahi, Ononuga’s comments suggest that the government deliberately allowed economic hardships to fester for political gain.

“We must ask: If the bottlenecks could have been removed earlier, why were they kept in place while Nigerians starved and businesses collapsed? Is this sudden effort a propaganda-driven performance ahead of the 2027 elections?”

He described the administration’s actions as politically calculated optics, not genuine governance.

“The president is not governing. He is campaigning, two years early because he knows Nigerians have had enough. He is risking the country’s future for re-election,” Abdullahi declared.

The ADC urged Nigerians not to be deceived by sudden policy announcements and media narratives.

“This is not governance. This is desperation.”