…Party Says Poll Will Be Referendum on President’s Three-Year Record
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the emerging 2027 campaign council of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “rehabilitation centre” for people facing unresolved corruption allegations, questioning the inclusion of individuals previously linked to corruption investigations.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party specifically questioned the reported inclusion of former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu and former NSITF Chairman Ngozi Olejeme in the campaign council.
The ADC asked the Federal Government to explain the status of corruption-related cases involving the two former officials, particularly the controversy over an attempted transfer of ₦585 million into a private account which led to Edu’s suspension, as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) case involving Olejeme over alleged financial misconduct.
The party said if the cases had been resolved, the government should publicly disclose how, when and by whom the individuals were cleared.
According to the ADC, the emergence of people previously associated with corruption allegations in prominent political positions could create the impression that financial crime investigations are abandoned when suspects become politically valuable.
“Under this government, corruption allegations increasingly appear to have an expiry date. Once a person becomes politically useful enough, yesterday’s questions apparently no longer require today’s answers,” the party said.
The ADC also declared that the 2027 presidential election would be a referendum on Tinubu’s three-year record in office, rather than simply a contest between political parties and individual candidates.
It argued that no campaign council, regardless of its size or political influence, could erase the economic difficulties confronting 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 party said.
The opposition party accused the administration of asking Nigerians to endure economic hardship while politically connected individuals allegedly continued to benefit from access to public resources.
“The time for reckoning has come,” the ADC declared.
The party also renewed its support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal for a targeted intervention to subsidise fuel production as a way of reducing pump prices and easing the cost-of-living crisis.
The ADC said the proposed intervention would be capped, budgeted, targeted and independently audited, with every naira traceable and every barrel accounted for.
Rejecting arguments that the country could not afford such an intervention, the party accused the government of continuing to commit public funds to what it described as wasteful policies.
“Our proposal is straightforward: every naira must be traceable and every barrel accounted for,” the ADC said.
The opposition party challenged President Tinubu to account for the economic consequences of his administration’s policies before telling Nigerians that the country could not afford measures aimed at easing the burden on struggling families.
