The African Democratic Congress (ADC), a prominent opposition party, has strongly criticized the Presidency’s recent claim that President Bola Tinubu has no intention of extending his term beyond 2031, labeling such statements as presumptuous and fundamentally undemocratic.
In an official release by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC emphasized that President Tinubu’s current mandate concludes in 2027, and expressed confidence that Nigerians would not support any extension of his tenure by even a single day.
The adc-dismisses-datti-baba-ahmed-criticism-commits-coalition/” title=”2027: … Shrugs Off Datti Baba-Ahmed's Criticism, Reaffirms Strong Coalition Commitment”>party highlighted the ongoing crises plaguing the nation-rampant banditry and violence, widespread hunger, oppressive taxation, and unprecedented abuses of power-as clear indicators that the President should be preparing to exit office at the end of his term.
They warned that any attempt to remain in power beyond 2027 would only confirm the administration’s disconnect from the realities facing Nigerians.
The statement elaborated, “The Presidency’s defensive reaction to former Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s comments about President Tinubu’s alleged ambitions to become a ‘life president‘ only reinforces what many Nigerians have long suspected: this government is not only detached from the people’s realities but dangerously complacent.”
“The President’s talk of staying in office until 2031 reveals a mindset that treats re-election as a mere formality rather than a constitutional process requiring accountability to the electorate. Re-election is not guaranteed, and President Tinubu has yet to demonstrate that he deserves a second term.”
“In just two years, his leadership has deepened national divisions and pushed many Nigerians further into poverty. The loss of innocent lives has escalated, with bandits effectively controlling large parts of the Northern region. While the government imposes heavy taxes on citizens and businesses from Abuja, these criminal groups levy their own ‘taxes’ in various Northern states.”
“Under his administration, national security has deteriorated into a farce. Terrorists, bandits, and criminals operate with impunity. Kidnappings occur openly, and rural areas have become battlegrounds. This pervasive insecurity has become a national trauma, with the government lacking both the will and capacity to address it.”
The ADC further condemned the economic situation, describing it as a freefall. They pointed out the collapse of the naira, rampant inflation, soaring food prices-tripling in many regions-and a shrinking job market.
“The middle class is vanishing, once-thriving businesses are collapsing under burdensome taxes and inconsistent policies. Nigerians are poorer, hungrier, and more frustrated than before President Tinubu assumed office in 2023.”
“The power sector remains in a state of paralysis despite repeated promises. Frequent blackouts have become the norm, not the exception. Billions have been spent without any significant increase in electricity supply. Both literal and figurative darkness persist, as the national grid continues to fail while corruption flourishes.”
“Social development paints an equally grim picture. Nigeria’s Human Development Index is declining. Education is underfunded, healthcare systems are crumbling, and millions of children remain out of school. The youth-our nation’s most valuable resource-face growing hopelessness, unemployment, and unrest. Government interventions have been superficial at best.”
“Human rights abuses are rampant. Court rulings are disregarded. Journalists face intimidation. Peaceful protesters are met with brutality. All of this unfolds under a President who once professed democratic values but now oversees an increasingly authoritarian regime, marked by arrogance and a refusal to be held accountable.”
“Transparency and fiscal responsibility have become relics of the past. This administration has adopted secrecy as a governing principle. Budget padding, wasteful expenditures, opaque relief programs, and unexplained loans have characterized its financial management. The unresolved fuel subsidy controversy remains a glaring national scandal.”
“Given this extensive record of failure, it is not only insensitive but perilous for anyone within the Tinubu administration to casually discuss a second term. The President should be preparing to hand over power, not plotting to extend his stay. The damage inflicted so far is substantial.”
“However, Nigerians should not dismiss the notion of a ‘life president’ as far-fetched. This is the same individual who, since leaving office in 2007, has effectively controlled Lagos State politics-appointing governors, selecting Speakers, and installing key officials. What he mastered in Lagos, he now aims to replicate nationwide. But let it be unequivocally stated: Nigeria is not Lagos.”
“The Nigerian people are vigilant. When 2027 arrives, the contest will not be APC versus ADC; it will be APC versus the Nigerian populace,” the party concluded.
