The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said the outcome of the 2027 presidential election will be decided by Nigerians, not by the personal opinion of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of focusing on comments made by Obasanjo about the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, instead of responding to growing concerns over the country’s economic situation.
The party said the election would be determined by the daily experiences of Nigerians under the current administration, particularly on issues such as the economy, insecurity and the rising cost of living.
According to the party, the APC turned attention to Obasanjo’s remarks after Catholic Bishops criticised the state of the nation during their recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
“The APC has become obsessed with our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Instead of defending its record after the Catholic Bishops spoke about the state of the nation, it has chosen to use former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments to divert attention from its performance over the last three years,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC also accused the ruling party of attacking critics rather than addressing the issues they raise.
“Whenever respected Nigerians speak about worsening poverty, insecurity, the rising cost of living or the loss of public confidence, the APC does not answer for its record. Instead, it looks for someone to attack. Yesterday it was the Catholic Bishops, today it is Atiku Abubakar, tomorrow it will be someone else,” the statement said.
On Obasanjo’s remarks, the opposition party said the former president was entitled to his personal views but argued that such opinions could not erase Atiku’s record in government.
“During the administration in which Atiku Abubakar served as Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council, Nigeria experienced stronger economic growth, greater investor confidence and a more affordable cost of living than it does under the current administration,” the party said.
The party also challenged the Federal Government to explain why food prices continue to rise despite claims of economic growth, why more Nigerians have fallen into poverty, why unemployment remains high, why government borrowing has increased and why insecurity continues in many parts of the country.
The ADC insisted that these issues, rather than the views of any individual, would shape the choice Nigerians make in the next presidential election.
“The 2027 presidential election will not be determined by the opinion of any individual but by the daily realities of over 200 million Nigerians who, today, are poorer, face greater insecurity and are more uncertain about their future than they were before the Tinubu administration came into office,” the party said.
