The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a stern call to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to dismantle what it described as premature and illegal campaign materials promoting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The party said the continued erection of campaign billboards and staged endorsements by APC supporters flouts the Electoral Act, which prohibits public campaigning more than 150 days before an election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier cautioned political actors against violating this rule.
In a strongly worded statement, ADC’s interim publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the APC of prioritising political optics over Nigeria’s deepening economic and security crises.
“For months now, organs of the APC have staged rallies and unveiled billboards endorsing President Tinubu for a second term — from Abuja to Port Harcourt, Minna, Kano, and Akure,” Abdullahi said. “These stage-managed endorsements blatantly ignore INEC’s reminder that public campaigning is unlawful.”
The ADC decried what it called a disconnect between the APC’s re-election drive and the worsening living conditions of Nigerians.
“While the APC chants four more years, food prices have soared, transport has become unaffordable, and many households can no longer pay rent,” the statement added.
According to the ADC, headline inflation, which stood at 22 percent in 2023, surged to nearly 35 percent by December of that year — the highest in three decades. The party also pointed to the crash of the naira from N461 to over N1,500 against the dollar, saying it had crippled savings and small businesses.
On fuel prices, the ADC noted that the removal of petrol subsidies has pushed the pump price from N185 per litre to over N1,000, worsening the cost-of-living crisis.
Turning to insecurity, the opposition party alleged that over 3,100 Nigerians were killed between April and June this year, including 1,865 civilians and 122 security operatives. The party cited recent mass abductions, including one in Zamfara State where over 50 people were kidnapped in Sabon Gari Dirmi.
“In 2023, the national grid collapsed 12 times, and the situation has barely improved this year. Despite lofty promises, millions of Nigerians still live in darkness,” Abdullahi said.
He also accused the Tinubu administration of deepening corruption and cracking down on press freedom, noting that Nigeria’s global press freedom ranking dropped 10 places in one year.
“Nigerians are hungry, sick, and terrified. Yet the government is more concerned with controlling narratives than fixing reality,” the ADC stated.
The party demanded that the APC “dismantle its unlawful campaign machinery,” respect electoral laws, and focus on rescuing the country from spiralling inflation, insecurity, and poor governance.
“Until the lawful campaign window opens, every political billboard is a billboard of illegality,” the ADC spokesperson declared.
Abdullahi said the party would continue to hold the APC accountable both in public and at the ballot box when the time comes.
