The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of focusing on personalities instead of addressing Nigeria’s worsening economic and security challenges, insisting that the outcome of the 2027 general election will be determined by the daily realities faced by Nigerians rather than the opinion of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said the APC had become “obsessed” with its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, because it could no longer defend President Bola Tinubu’s record in office.
The ADC alleged that the ruling party had seized on Obasanjo’s recent comments about Atiku as a diversionary tactic after Catholic Bishops criticised the Tinubu administration over rising poverty, insecurity and the high cost of living.
According to the party, rather than respond to the concerns raised by the bishops, the APC chose to attack both the clerics and Atiku while avoiding questions about the country’s economic and security situation.
“The APC wants the 2027 election to be about personalities because it cannot defend its performance. They want this election to be about Obasanjo’s personal opinion of Atiku based on a distant past because they cannot defend Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s record based on current performance,” the statement said.
The ADC argued that the APC had developed a pattern of attacking critics instead of responding to issues affecting ordinary Nigerians.
It maintained that whenever respected Nigerians raise concerns over deepening poverty, worsening insecurity, the rising cost of living or declining public confidence in government, the ruling party resorts to personal attacks rather than addressing the substance of the criticism.
Defending its presidential candidate, the party said Atiku’s record as Vice President during the Obasanjo administration remained a matter of public record, irrespective of the former president’s current political views.
It claimed that during the Obasanjo administration, when Atiku chaired the National Economic Council and coordinated economic planning between the federal and state governments, Nigeria experienced stronger economic growth, greater macroeconomic stability, improved investor confidence and a more affordable cost of living than exists today.
The opposition party also challenged the APC-led government to explain the continued rise in food prices, increasing poverty, unemployment, rising public debt and worsening insecurity across the country.
It questioned why economic growth had not translated into improved living standards, why government borrowing had increased significantly, and why many communities continued to face attacks from bandits, terrorists and kidnappers.
According to the ADC, these are the issues Nigerians expect the ruling party to address as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
The party maintained that the verdict at the polls would ultimately rest with Nigerians based on their personal experiences under the current administration.
“Ultimately, the election will not be decided by the opinion of any one individual. It will be decided by the lived experience of more than 200 million Nigerians who are poorer, more insecure, and more uncertain about their future than they were before the Tinubu administration took office,” the statement added.
