ADC criticises Tinubu in the Tinubu Early Campaign Row, saying his alleged early 2027 bid distracts from Nigeria’s escalating security crisis
The African Democratic Congress on Friday sharply criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja, alleging that the President has triggered the Tinubu Early Campaign Row by secretly kick-starting his 2027 re-election drive under the guise of political mobilisation despite Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
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The party said such activity undermines the seriousness of the national security emergency the President himself declared.
In a statement issued by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition condemned reports that the President distributed branded Hilux trucks, Land Cruisers and Hummer buses to political mobilisers under the Renewed Hope Ambassadors banner.
Abdullahi described the alleged move as ill-timed and potentially unlawful, warning that it breaches the Independent National Electoral Commission’s campaign timetable.
Abdullahi argued that the development raises doubts about the administration’s commitment to protecting citizens who continue to face kidnappings, mass displacement and deadly attacks.
He said the country urgently requires strengthened security measures rather than what he called a partisan mobilisation structure built during a national emergency.
While acknowledging Tinubu’s declaration of a security emergency, the ADC said the response so far has lacked substance and urgency.
Abdullahi noted that beyond symbolic statements and official pronouncements, Nigerians had yet to perceive heightened security alertness or visible improvements in safety.
The ADC described the moment as unprecedented, saying Tinubu had become the first democratically elected Nigerian President to declare a security emergency while allegedly embarking on a re-election effort.
It insisted that genuine emergency leadership demands discipline, focus and moral clarity, not what it characterised as routine political manoeuvring.
The party called on INEC to take concrete action rather than observe passively, stating that the reported activities amounted to clear violations of electoral regulations and threatened the integrity of the political process.
Abdullahi maintained that no President could serve effectively as national leader in a time of crisis while simultaneously acting as an active candidate.
He said leadership during national trauma requires sacrifice and clarity of purpose, adding that lavish convoys and branded campaign vehicles send the wrong message to citizens living in fear.
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The ADC urged the President to recommit fully to tackling insecurity or admit that political ambition had begun to overshadow governance.
