The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of sliding into authoritarianism following his administration’s recent boasts about ruling Nigeria beyond 2027.
Recall that Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, while hosting Atiku Abubakar recently warned that Tinubu might attempt to cling to power like Cameroon’s Paul Biya. Biya, 92, has ruled since 1982 and recently declared interest in re-election.
In response, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy, dismissed el-Rufai’s warning as “baseless and absurd”, stressing that Tinubu is “a democrat who does not intend to stay in office beyond May 28, 2031, when re-elected in 2027.”
Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesperson, said the presidency’s reference to 2031 “betrays a mindset that dismisses re-election as a mere formality.”
“Re-election is not automatic, and President Tinubu has not earned a second term,” Abdullahi said. “In two short years, he has divided the country like no other president before him and sent millions deeper into poverty.
He accused the Tinubu administration of failing on security, saying bandits and terrorists operate “with impunity” while rural communities have become “warlike zones.”
“Under his watch, national security has degenerated into a cruel joke. Citizens are kidnapped in broad daylight, and the government has neither the will nor the capacity to stop it,” Abdullahi added.
On the economy, the ADC said Tinubu has presided over a collapsing naira, runaway inflation, and widespread job losses, leaving Nigerians “poorer, hungrier, and angrier” than before he assumed office.
Abdullahi further accused the government of human rights violations, including disobedience to court orders, harassment of journalists, and brutality against 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.
The ADC also alleged that fiscal management under Tinubu is marked by secrecy, budget padding, and questionable loans, while the power sector “remains comatose despite billions spent.”
According to Abdullahi, Tinubu’s political style in Lagos—where he has been accused of handpicking governors and top officials since 2007—is being replicated at the national level.
“But Nigeria is not Lagos,” he warned. “Come 2027, it won’t be APC versus ADC; it will be APC versus the Nigerian people.”
