The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that he does not deserve a second term in office.
The ADC said this in reaction to the claim by the Presidency that Tinubu has no plans to stay in office beyond 2031, denouncing a remark by Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, that Tinubu could attempt to cling to power like Cameroon’s Paul Biya.
Biya, 92, has ruled Cameroon since 1982 and has declared interest in re-election, extending his 43 years in power.
But Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to Tinubu, in a rebuttal, said El-Rufai was wide of the mark in his remarks about the presidency.
In a statement on Tuesday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesperson, described the presidency’s response as “desperate”, noting that it only confirmed what Nigerians already suspected.
“That the president is already speaking of remaining in office till 2031 betrays a mindset that dismisses re-election as a mere formality,” the statement reads.
“Re-election is not automatic, and President Tinubu has not earned a second term. If anything, in two short years, he has shown Nigeria what he is capable of doing.
“He has divided the country like no other president before him and sent millions deeper into poverty.”
Abdullahi said insecurity under Tinubu has become “a national trauma”, noting that bandits and terrorists operate with impunity.
“Under his watch, national security has degenerated into a cruel joke,” it said. “Citizens are kidnapped in broad daylight, rural communities are now warzones, and the government has neither the will nor the capacity to stop it,” he said.
On the economy, Abdullahi said the “naira has collapsed, inflation is out of control, and jobs are disappearing”.
“Nigerians are now poorer, hungrier, and angrier than they were before Tinubu took office,” the ADC spokesperson added.
He also accused the government of trampling on human rights, ignoring court orders, harassing journalists, and brutalising protesters.
“The president once claimed to be a democrat. Today, he presides over a system that is authoritarian in tone, arrogant in posture, and hostile to accountability,” he said.
Abdullahi alleged that fiscal management under Tinubu is riddled with secrecy, budget padding, and “inexplicable loans”, while the power sector remains “comatose despite billions spent”.
“Given this comprehensive failure, it is not only insensitive but downright dangerous for anyone in the Tinubu presidency to speak so glibly of a second term,” he said.
“The president should not be plotting to stay. He should be preparing to leave. He has done enough damage.”
Abdullahi also warned that Tinubu’s political style in Lagos — where he has allegedly handpicked governors and top officials since 2007 — is now being replicated nationally.
“But Nigeria is not Lagos; Nigerians are watching, and come 2027, it won’t be APC versus ADC; it will be APC versus the Nigerian people,” he added.
