The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the composition of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 campaign council, describing it as a “rehabilitation centre for corruption suspects.”
In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party questioned the inclusion of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, and former Chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ngozi Olejeme, among others.
The statement was signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress.
The ADC recalled that Edu was suspended by President Tinubu following controversy surrounding an attempted transfer of N585 million into a private account, while Olejeme had faced prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of financial malpractices.
The party said the inclusion of the two individuals raised questions about the status of the allegations and investigations involving them, asking the government to explain whether they had been cleared and, if so, by whom and when.
“If they have been cleared, the government should show how and when and by whom they were cleared,” the ADC said.
The opposition party alleged that investigations into financial crimes under the Tinubu administration often appeared to disappear before individuals facing such allegations resurfaced in political or official positions.
“It has become a familiar pattern under this administration for investigations into financial crimes to quietly disappear only for the accused to suddenly reappear in a different official role,” the statement added.
The ADC further accused the government of allowing corruption allegations to effectively acquire an “expiry date”, arguing that individuals who become politically useful appear to escape scrutiny over previous allegations.
The party also declared that the 2027 election would be a referendum on President Tinubu’s performance, insisting that political alliances would not shield the administration from public scrutiny over the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
“The President may assemble his old friends and political allies, including those carrying unresolved corruption questions, but all of their collective brooms cannot sweep away the grave pains they have brought on the Nigerian people,” the ADC said.
According to the party, the government’s campaign machinery would not be able to campaign away the cost-of-living crisis or what it described as endemic poverty resulting from the administration’s policies.
The ADC alleged that Nigerians had been repeatedly asked to tighten their belts over the past three years, while people connected to government continued to enjoy what it described as “obscene opulence” at the expense of public resources.
“The time for reckoning has come,” the party declared.
The opposition party also renewed its commitment to the proposal of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to subsidise fuel production as a means of reducing petrol prices and lowering the general cost of living.
The ADC said it had observed what it described as “government-sponsored attacks” against its proposal for a targeted, capped, budgeted and independently audited subsidy intervention.
While government critics have argued that Nigeria cannot afford a return to fuel subsidies, the ADC said the position amounted to telling struggling Nigerians that the government could not afford to protect vulnerable families.
The party insisted that its proposed intervention would be fundamentally different from previous subsidy arrangements, stressing that public funds must be properly accounted for.
“Our proposal is straightforward: every naira must be traceable and every barrel accounted for,” the ADC said.
The party also challenged President Tinubu to account for what it described as the cost of government policies that had contributed to economic hardship before questioning the affordability of measures aimed at supporting struggling Nigerians.
