The African Democratic Congress (ADC) issued a statement on Monday asserting that the outcome of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election will be decided by the everyday experiences of Nigerians, not by the personal opinion of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In the statement, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of diverting attention to Obasanjo’s remarks about the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, instead of addressing growing concerns over the country’s economic situation.
Abdullahi said the APC had become “obsessed with our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Instead of defending its record after the Catholic Bishops spoke about the state of the nation, it has chosen to use former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments to divert attention from its performance over the last three years.” The ADC added that the election would be determined by the daily realities of Nigerians under the current administration, particularly on issues such as the Economy, insecurity and the rising cost of living.
The party linked the APC’s focus on Obasanjo’s comments to a recent meeting between Catholic Bishops and President Bola Tinubu, during which the bishops criticised the state of the nation. “The APC has become obsessed with our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Instead of defending its record after the Catholic Bishops spoke about the state of the nation, it has chosen to use former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments to divert attention from its performance over the last three years,” Abdullahi repeated.
The ADC also accused the ruling party of attacking critics rather than addressing the issues they raise. “Whenever respected Nigerians speak about worsening poverty, insecurity, the rising cost of living or the loss of public confidence, the APC does not answer for its record. Instead, it looks for someone to attack. Yesterday it was the Catholic Bishops, today it is Atiku Abubakar, tomorrow it will be someone else,” the statement said.
On Obasanjo’s remarks, the opposition party said the former president was entitled to his personal views but argued that such opinions could not erase Atiku’s record in government. “During the administration in which Atiku Abubakar served as Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council, Nigeria experienced stronger economic growth, greater investor confidence and a more affordable cost of living than it does under the current administration,” the party said.
The ADC challenged the Federal Government to explain why food prices continue to rise despite claims of economic growth, why more Nigerians have fallen into poverty, why unemployment remains high, why government borrowing has increased and why insecurity continues in many parts of the country. The party insisted that these issues, rather than the views of any individual, would shape the choice Nigerians make in the next presidential election.
“The 2027 presidential election will not be determined by the opinion of any individual but by the daily realities of over 200 million Nigerians who, today, are poorer, face greater insecurity and are more uncertain about their future than they were before the Tinubu administration came into office,” the ADC concluded. The statement underscores the party’s belief that the electorate’s lived experience will ultimately decide the country’s political future.
