By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, has declared that President Bola Tinubu must be voted out in 2027, accusing his administration of worsening poverty, insecurity, unemployment and economic hardship in the country.
Ibrahim-Imam made the declaration on Friday while delivering an address at the inauguration of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, where he presented former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the candidate capable of rescuing Nigeria from its current challenges.
Describing the inauguration as the beginning of a national rescue mission, he told members of the council that their responsibility extended beyond political campaigning to restoring hope to suffering Nigerians.
“Let no one mistake this gathering for a ceremony. We have not come here to collect titles. We have come here to begin a rescue,” he said.
The ADC campaign chairman identified rising food prices as one of the most troubling consequences of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, citing figures he attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics to illustrate the burden on households.
He painted a picture of a woman returning from the market with insufficient food for her children, describing her predicament as representative of the hardship confronting millions of Nigerians.
“She is not a statistic. She is your mother. She is your wife. She is your sister. She is you,” Ibrahim-Imam declared.
He argued that Nigeria’s abundant natural resources and large population should have positioned the country for prosperity, but blamed poor leadership for turning those advantages into sources of frustration.
“Population is a blessing when leadership treats it as a workforce. It becomes a burden only when leadership treats it as a crowd to be managed until the next election,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also lamented the migration of Nigerian professionals and graduates to foreign countries, arguing that the country was losing talented people because of inadequate economic opportunities at home.
He questioned why Nigerian doctors, engineers, nurses and other professionals were thriving abroad while many young graduates struggled to secure employment domestically.
“Wherever the Nigerian finds light, the Nigerian shines!” he said, insisting that the problem was not a lack of talent but a failure of leadership to create an enabling environment.Ibrahim-Imam further criticised the administration’s borrowing, claiming that Nigeria’s public debt had risen from N87.38 trillion when Tinubu assumed office to N166.79 trillion by June 30, 2026.
He questioned the benefits Nigerians had received from the government’s fiscal decisions, particularly following the removal of petrol subsidy.
“They borrowed in your name. They spent in their own. And they will hand the bill to your children,” he said.
On security, the campaign council chairman accused the administration of failing to protect citizens from killings, kidnappings and attacks on communities, citing incidents in Benue State and the abduction of pupils and staff from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State.
“A government that cannot protect your life has no right to ask for your vote,” he declared, calling on the administration to address the security crisis or face rejection at the polls.
He also criticised the rising cost of living following the removal of petrol subsidy in May 2023, arguing that increases in transportation, food, rent and school fees had placed unbearable pressure on households.
According to him, workers’ incomes had failed to keep pace with the rising cost of essential goods and services.Turning to the 2027 presidential election, Ibrahim-Imam contrasted Tinubu’s 2022 campaign slogan, “Emilokan,” with the ADC’s response, “Awalokan,” which he described as a demand for ordinary Nigerians to have their turn.
“His turn has come. And look at what he has done with it,” he said, adding that the ADC’s message represented the interests of farmers, traders, students, pensioners and unemployed graduates.
