The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticized President Bola Tinubu for purportedly initiating his 2027 re-election campaign while the nation is still in a state of emergency, labeling it as a callously insensitive move that undermines the very essence of the emergency declaration itself.
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the national publicity secretary of ADC, remarked that the President’s distribution of branded vehicles to campaign representatives nationwide, despite the ongoing plight of kidnapped citizens and the struggles of security forces to manage rising violence and banditry, portrays Tinubu as more of an election candidate than the President of Nigeria.
The opposition party asserted that the President must either refocus on governance or step aside and acknowledge that his political aspirations are obstructing Nigeria’s recovery.
The ADC emphasized that by commencing his re-election campaign under the pretense of “Renewed Hope Ambassadors,” Tinubu is “acting more like a presidential candidate intent on re-election than a President of a distressed nation under emergency rule, facing escalating security challenges throughout the country.”
The party further claimed that the President’s actions constitute a clear violation of the Electoral Act and the INEC schedule.
The ADC spokesperson made this statement in response to a widely circulated video showcasing fleets of branded Hilux trucks, Land Cruisers, and Hummer buses intended for distribution to APC agents nationwide.
ADC asserted that this act has effectively initiated Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.
Abdullahi remarked that such actions, occurring while Nigeria is under a declared state of emergency due to the escalating insecurity crisis, confirm that the President’s declaration of a security emergency was merely a tactic to attract media attention. Stating that the declaration holds no significance for a President whose primary focus remains on his re-election.
The ADC spokesperson explained that effective leadership during crises requires concentration, selflessness, and ethical clarity.
Furthermore, he emphasized that extravagant processions and premature campaigns do not address the issues of national distress.
He asserted that the President should either resume his responsibilities in governance or acknowledge that his political aspirations are hindering Nigeria’s path to recovery. His full statement reads:
“While ordinary citizens are being kidnapped, displaced, and killed, the President is handing out branded vehicles and building a partisan mobilisation structure. Entire communities are living under siege, our armed forces are stretched thin, yet the ruling party is preparing for rallies.
“At a time when children are being kidnapped and countless communities are under attack, the President is focused on re-election, seeking to continue presiding over a nation that has become more diminished, more fractured, and more dangerous than he met it.
“A nation under emergency rule is expected to adopt extraordinary conduct and behaviours that reflect the desperate nature of its condition. More importantly, the leadership of that country must demonstrate that nothing else matters in a time of emergency than tackling the situation that necessitated it.
“What we have seen under President Tinubu is that, apart from the declaration itself and a few symbolic gestures, nothing of substance has changed; no new safety measures, no heightened security alertness or presence, nothing. Instead, it has been business as usual. But nothing confirms that the emergency declaration means nothing to the President more than this so-called “Renewed Hope Ambassadors” project and the obscene distribution of campaign vehicles at a time when an undermined number of children are still in captivity and the entire nation cowers in fear.
“President Tinubu is the first elected Nigerian President to declare a nationwide emergency on security. It should now be on record that he is the first President to launch his re-election campaign while the country is under emergency rule. This is not merely misplaced priority. It is an indication that the only thing that truly matters to this government and this President is politics.
“We must also remind the President that, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the window for campaign activities ahead of the 2027 elections has not yet opened. These actions are in clear violation of electoral regulations, and we expect INEC to act decisively to protect the integrity of the process.
“President Tinubu must make a choice. He cannot govern under emergency powers while operating as a candidate on the campaign trail. One path leads to public service, the other to political opportunism.”
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