2027: APC breaching electoral laws with Tinubu

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of breaching the electoral laws with endorsement of President Bola Tinubu, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the APC is hoisting endorsement billboards, rather than addressing urgent national challenges.

The party stated that soaring inflation, collapse of the Naira, high fuel price, and escalating cases of kidnapping, in the country, are all evidence that the government is distracted from governance.

The opposition party charged the APC to dismantle “its unlawful campaign machinery,” and concentrate its energy on addressing the many challenges confronting Nigerians.

ADC said: “For several months, APC organs have staged rallies and erected billboards endorsing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term. From the Abuja national caucus that proclaimed him ‘sole candidate,’ to choreographed declarations in Port Harcourt, Minna, Kano, and Akure.

“These theatrics brazenly ignore the Electoral Act and the fresh warning issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which reminds every politician that public campaigning is illegal until 150 days before polling day.

“While the ruling party chants ‘four more years’ and sings songs of a sinking mandate, prices have galloped beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. Headline inflation, already 22 per cent in 2023, rocketed to a 30-year high of almost 35 per cent last December and still hovers above 22 per cent today, meaning food, transport, and rent now cost roughly 60 per cent more than they did at the time he took office,” the ADC stated.

The party noted that “the naira has crumbled from about N461 to the dollar in early 2023 to well over N1,500, wiping out savings and strangling small enterprises. Petrol that once sold for N185 per litre before subsidy removal now averages more than N1,000, turning every journey to work or market into an exercise in anguish.”

The ADC said Nigeria is sinking deeper into debt with little money left for basic services like schools, hospitals and roads.

“According to the World Bank, the country now spends more on paying back loans than it earns in revenue.”

Despite this, the government continues to borrow more, while revenue collection remains very low compared to other African countries.

On insecurity, the party described the situation as a national nightmare.

“Between April and June alone, 122 security personnel and 1,865 civilians were killed across the country. More than 3,100 security-related deaths were recorded during that period, the ADC said.

“Just last Friday, over 50 people were kidnapped in Sabon Gari Dirmi, Zamfara State.

“Nigerians are being abducted like it’s a daily business. But instead of addressing this crisis, the President is busy chasing endorsements for a second term.”

“Rather than deploying more security personnel, the government has filled the streets with campaign billboards.”

The ADC also criticised the state of the power sector, noting that the national grid has collapsed multiple times this year. It accused the APC of failing to deliver on its promise of steady electricity supply.

“Nigerians are hungry, sick, and scared. Yet instead of finding real solutions, the government is busy building a team of online propagandists and spreading false hope.”

The party called on the APC to dismantle its unlawful campaign machinery and respect the law it swore to uphold.

“Until the lawful campaign window opens, every political billboard is a billboard of illegality and should be taken down,” the party said.