Opposition Party Alleges President Tinubu Disconnected from Nigerian Realities
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sharply criticised President Bola Tinubu for suggesting that “the game is sweet only when you are winning,” arguing the metaphor reveals a profound disconnect from the daily hardships experienced by Nigerians.
The President made the remark during an interfaith breaking of fast event on Wednesday. In response, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, questioned the premise of the President’s analogy in a statement posted on social media.
“It is important to ask the President: Who exactly is winning in this so-called game?” Abdullahi stated. He proceeded to list prevailing national challenges, asking whether citizens are winners amid escalating insecurity, pervasive unemployment, severe economic strain, and a thriving brain drain of young professionals.
The ADC contended that reducing the nation’s complex crises to a game trivialises the suffering of ordinary people. “If politics is a game to the President, the Nigerian people are the ones paying the price,” the party’s statement asserted.
The party called for a shift from what it described as a casual approach to governance. “Nigeria does not need a gamer-in-chief,” the statement read. “Nigeria needs a leader who understands the weight of the office he holds and the responsibility it carries.”
The ADC’s criticism underscores a common opposition narrative that the Tinubu administration is out of touch, particularly as the country grapples with high inflation, a cost-of-living crisis, and persistent security concerns. By framing governance as a contest, the party argues, the President overlooks the non-negotiable need for effective, empathetic leadership during a period of significant national difficulty. The rebuke highlights the intensifying political friction as the administration faces mounting pressure to address the tangible economic and security realities facing the populace.
