2027: Obasanjo’s opinion on Atiku insignificant, ADC tells APC

The African Democratic Congress on Monday dismissed attempts by the All Progressives Congress to use former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments on its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as a campaign issue, insisting that the former leader’s personal opinion would have no bearing on the outcome of the 2027 presidential election.

Instead, the opposition party said the election would be decided by Nigerians’ assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s performance, particularly on the economy, insecurity and the rising cost of living.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC accused the ruling APC of diverting public attention from the country’s pressing challenges by focusing its attacks on Atiku rather than addressing growing public concerns.

The party alleged that instead of responding to issues raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria on the state of the nation, the APC had “shamelessly latched on” to Obasanjo’s remarks in a bid to shift attention from what it described as the administration’s poor performance.

The statement read in part, “The APC wants the 2027 election to be about personalities because it cannot defend its performance. They want this election to be about Obasanjo’s personal opinion of Atiku based on a distant past because they cannot defend Bola Tinubu’s record based on current performance.”

According to the ADC, the ruling party has consistently responded to criticism by attacking those who raise concerns instead of addressing the issues confronting Nigerians.

“Whenever respected Nigerians point to the deepening poverty, worsening insecurity, rising cost of living or the collapse of public confidence under this administration, the APC never answers for its record. Instead, it looks for someone to attack. Yesterday, it was the Catholic Bishops. Today, it is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Tomorrow, it will be someone else,” the statement read.

The party maintained that while Obasanjo was entitled to his personal opinion of Atiku, such views could not erase what it described as the achievements of the administration in which Atiku served as Vice President.

It noted that during the Obasanjo administration, Atiku chaired the National Economic Council and coordinated economic planning between the Federal Government and the states, a period it said, witnessed stronger economic growth, improved macroeconomic stability, greater investor confidence and a more affordable cost of living than currently obtainable.

The opposition party challenged the APC to account for what it described as worsening living conditions under the Tinubu administration.

“Why have food prices and the cost of basic necessities continued to rise despite the government’s claims of economic growth? Why have more Nigerians fallen into poverty? Why has economic growth not translated into jobs? Why has government borrowing continued to increase without corresponding improvements in the lives of citizens?” it queried.

It also questioned the government’s rising debt profile and expressed concern over the proportion of national revenue being spent on debt servicing, while asking the APC to explain the persistence of insecurity across the country.

It insisted that Nigerians would ultimately determine the outcome of the 2027 election based on their lived experiences rather than the views of any individual.

“Ultimately, the election will not be decided by the opinion of any individual. It will be decided by the lived experience of more than 200m Nigerians who are poorer, more insecure and more uncertain about their future than they were before the Tinubu administration took office,” it added.