The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of acting out of fear rather than genuine concern for Nigerians, following the government’s recent pledge to remove obstacles to food security and boost exports.
In a statement released on Sunday by the ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and shared on X, the party described the reform announcements as a scramble for survival prompted by the growing popularity of the ADC and other opposition forces.
The ADC was reacting to a statement by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, who recently announced that the federal government would take steps to eliminate bottlenecks blocking food security and exports.
The ADC questioned the timing of the announcement, suggesting it was politically motivated.
“On Saturday, when Bayo Onanuga tweeted before the world that, moving forward, all bottlenecks hindering “the realization of the Tinubu administration’s potential”; would be removed to enable food sovereignty and export, he didn’t just issue a statement, he issued a confession.
The statement indicated that the Tinubu government deliberately chose not to take action while Nigerians faced widespread hunger.
It argued that the government is now making a late move under political pressure and should not be praised for taking minimal action.
According to the ADC, this is not genuine reform or leadership, but rather a desperate attempt to stay afloat after being overwhelmed by its own shortcomings.
“Let us make one thing clear, it took the emergence of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the growing momentum of a united opposition to push this government into action. It wasn’t the hunger of hundreds of millions of Nigerians that moved them, it was fear. Fear of the 2027 elections. Fear that Nigerians have woken up. Fear that, with a united opposition, 2027 will be a clearcut election between the APC and the Nigerian people,”; the statement read in part.
The ADC accused the ruling APC of intentionally using poverty as a political tool.
It argued that based on Bayo Onanuga’s recent remarks about removing obstacles to food security, it is clear the government had deliberately chosen not to act for the past two years, allowing widespread hunger to persist.
The ADC urged Nigerians to start asking the government important questions.
“If the problems blocking food supply could have been fixed earlier, why did the government leave them for so long while people went hungry and businesses failed? Was it part of a plan to fix things suddenly before the 2027 elections just to gain support?
“This is a pattern. This is a strategy. This is not a government reacting to an urgent national crisis, it is a political machine managing optics. Every move they have made has been about political calculation ahead of 2027. Nigerians, shine your eyes.
According to the statement, the President is campaigning two years early, “Because he knows he’s in trouble. He knows Nigerians have had enough.”;
The ADC called on citizens to demand real solutions, not political showmanship, ahead of the 2027 elections.
