The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) of failing to address the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians.
The party’s Presidential Campaign Council said Vice President Kashim Shettima’s claim that the Tinubu administration rescued Nigeria from economic collapse amounted to an indictment of the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari, which was also controlled by the APC.
The council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the position known in a statement on Sunday.
Ologbondiyan argued that if Nigeria was already heading towards a crisis similar to that experienced in Caracas before Tinubu assumed office, the APC should accept responsibility for the situation after eight years of Buhari’s administration.
He questioned why Nigerians should trust the current administration when Tinubu belongs to the same political party and had previously defended the Buhari government.
“Vice President Shettima’s statement is self-indicting. If Nigeria was heading to Caracas under Buhari, it means Buhari and the APC deceived Nigerians for eight years,” Ologbondiyan said.
He added, “And if that is the case, why should Nigerians believe Tinubu, who is of the same APC stock and was a major promoter and defender of the Buhari administration?”
The ADC spokesman maintained that the ruling party could not distance itself from Buhari’s record, stressing that Tinubu had previously promised to build on the achievements of the former administration.
According to him, Nigerians voted for the APC as a political party rather than for Buhari as an individual, making the ruling party responsible for the records of its successive administrations.
“But Nigerians do not know Buhari as an individual; Nigerians know APC. It is the APC, on whose platform President Tinubu is seeking a second term, that has failed Nigerians for almost 12 years and is undeserving of another four years,” he said.
The ADC also faulted the government over the state of infrastructure, electricity and public institutions, saying the rising cost of food and other essential goods remained the major concern for ordinary Nigerians.
“Our roads are no longer motorable, there is no electricity, our institutions have collapsed. But what concerns ordinary Nigerians today is food, food and food, not baseless propaganda,” Ologbondiyan said.
He further rejected Shettima’s assertion that the Tinubu administration had prevented Nigeria from sliding into economic collapse, arguing that Nigerians were already experiencing severe hardship.
“Nigerians are not heading to Caracas; under the APC, Nigerians are already living the Caracas experience in their own country,” he said.
The ADC campaign council also questioned the government’s latest transportation promises, including plans to introduce 10,600 electric tricycles, 300 buses and electric taxis under its e-logistics programme.
Ologbondiyan recalled the Federal Government’s earlier promise that transportation costs would fall by October 1, 2026, urging Nigerians to judge the administration by its achievements rather than new promises.
The council called on the APC and Shettima to focus on addressing the country’s economic challenges instead of attempting to separate the Tinubu administration from the previous APC government.
It also reaffirmed the ADC’s intention to provide an alternative to the ruling party ahead of the next general election.
