The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a swipe at
the presidency over its claim that President Bola Tinubu has no plans to stay
in office beyond 2031.
The opposition party described the remarks as “presumptuous
and undemocratic”, insisting Tinubu’s mandate ends in 2027.
The ADC was reacting to remarks by the presidency, which
dismissed warnings by Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, that Tinubu
could attempt to cling to power like Cameroon’s Paul Biya.
The former Kaduna governor had said Nigerians must unite in
2027 to stop Tinubu from attempting a life presidency.
Biya, 92, has ruled Cameroon since 1982 and has declared
interest in re-election, extending his 43 years in power.
But Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and
strategy to Tinubu, in a rebuttal, said el-Rufai was wide of the mark in his
remarks about the presidency.
“Instead, he (el-Rufai) resorted to spreading further
unfounded stories, including the claim that President Tinubu intends to become
a ‘life president’ after 2027 — a speculation that is baseless and absurd,”
Onanuga wrote.
“President Tinubu is a democrat who does not intend to stay
in office beyond May 28, 2031, when re-elected in 2027.”
‘TINUBU HAS NOT EARNED A SECOND TERM’
In a statement on Tuesday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC
spokesperson, described the presidency’s response as “desperate”, noting that
it only confirmed what Nigerians already suspected.
“That the president is already speaking of remaining in
office till 2031 betrays a mindset that dismisses re-election as a mere
formality,” the statement reads.
“Re-election is not automatic, and President Tinubu has not
earned a second term. If anything, in two short years, he has shown Nigeria
what he is capable of doing.
“He has divided the country like no other president before
him and sent millions deeper into poverty.”
Abdullahi said insecurity under Tinubu has become “a
national trauma”, noting that bandits and terrorists operate with impunity.
“Under his watch, national security has degenerated into a
cruel joke,” it said. “Citizens are kidnapped in broad daylight, rural
communities are now warzones, and the government has neither the will nor the
capacity to stop it,” he said.
On the economy, Abdullahi said the “naira has collapsed,
inflation is out of control, and jobs are disappearing”.
“Nigerians are now poorer, hungrier, and angrier than they
were before Tinubu took office,” the ADC spokesperson added.
He also accused the government of trampling on human rights,
ignoring court orders, harassing journalists, and brutalising protesters.
“The president once claimed to be a democrat. Today, he
presides over a system that is authoritarian in tone, arrogant in posture, and
hostile to accountability,” he said.
Abdullahi alleged that fiscal management under Tinubu is
riddled with secrecy, budget padding, and “inexplicable loans”, while the power
sector remains “comatose despite billions spent”.
“Given this comprehensive failure, it is not only
insensitive but downright dangerous for anyone in the Tinubu presidency to
speak so glibly of a second term,” he said.
“The president should not be plotting to stay. He should be
preparing to leave. He has done enough damage.”
Abdullahi also warned that Tinubu’s political style in Lagos
— where he has allegedly handpicked governors and top officials since 2007 — is
now being replicated nationally.
“But Nigeria is not Lagos; Nigerians are watching, and come
2027, it won’t be APC versus ADC; it will be APC versus the Nigerian people,”
he added.
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