ADC Urges APC to Focus on Poverty and Insecurity, Not Personal Attacks on Atiku

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of trying to shift public attention away from rising poverty, insecurity and the high cost of living by repeatedly attacking its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

In a statement released on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the ruling party has become obsessed with Atiku because it cannot defend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s record ahead of the 2027 election.

The ADC criticised the APC for using former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent comments about Atiku as a distraction from the government’s poor performance.

The party also condemned the APC’s attacks on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria after the bishops highlighted the nation’s poverty, insecurity and cost‑of‑living crisis during a meeting with Tinubu.

“Unable to defend its catastrophic record after the bishops laid bare the true state of the nation, the APC has shamelessly seized on Obasanjo’s remarks to divert the national conversation from its terrible performance over the last three years,” the statement read.

The ADC warned that attacking critics has become a pattern under Tinubu: “Yesterday, it was the Catholic Bishops. Today, it is Atiku Abubakar. Tomorrow, it will be someone else.”

While acknowledging Obasanjo’s right to express his opinion, the ADC argued that personal views cannot erase Atiku’s record as vice‑president, during which Nigeria experienced stronger economic growth, greater stability and improved investor confidence.

The opposition party urged the APC to explain why food prices and the cost of basic necessities remain high despite claims of economic growth, and to address rising poverty, unemployment, borrowing and debt‑servicing costs.

The ADC also challenged the government to account for continued attacks by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, noting that hundreds of Nigerians remain in captivity while many communities live under persistent security threats.

Ultimately, the ADC said the 2027 election will be decided by the lived experience of more than 200 million Nigerians who are poorer, more insecure and more uncertain about their future than before Tinubu took office, not by the opinion of any single individual.