The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has responded to Vice President Kashim Shettima’s assertion that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu saved Nigeria from economic collapse. The ADC campaign council argued that the administration cannot distance itself from the record of the All Progressives Congress government under former President Muhammadu Buhari. According to the ADC, Shettima’s claim that Nigeria was heading towards “Caracas” before Tinubu assumed office is an indictment of the Buhari administration.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the position known in a statement issued on Sunday. Ologbondiyan accused Shettima of attempting to rewrite the history of the APC while defending what he described as the failures of the Tinubu administration. He argued that if Nigeria was indeed on the verge of economic collapse before Tinubu assumed office, as claimed by the Vice President, then the APC should accept responsibility for the conditions created during its eight years in power under Buhari.
Ologbondiyan further stated that the APC cannot simultaneously defend its past record and disown it when confronted with the current economic difficulties facing Nigerians. He recalled that Tinubu had, during the previous administration, defended the Buhari government and promised that his administration would build on its legacy. The ADC spokesman said attempts by Tinubu and Shettima to distance the present administration from Buhari amounted to an admission that the APC had failed Nigerians.
The ADC campaign council also criticised the APC administration over the state of infrastructure, electricity supply, public institutions, and the rising cost of living. Ologbondiyan said the immediate concern of Nigerians was not political rhetoric but their ability to afford food and other basic necessities. He stated that the country’s roads are no longer motorable, there is no electricity, and institutions have collapsed.
Ologbondiyan accused the Tinubu administration of worsening economic hardship, citing hunger, inflation, naira depreciation, insecurity, unemployment, and the rising cost of living. He rejected Shettima’s reference to “Caracas,” saying Nigerians are already experiencing severe economic difficulties rather than merely approaching such a situation. According to him, Nigerians are not heading to Caracas; under the APC, they are already living the Caracas experience in their own country.
The campaign council questioned the Vice President’s promise to deploy 10,600 electric tricycles, 300 buses, and electric taxis under an e-logistics programme in the coming weeks. Ologbondiyan urged Nigerians to scrutinise the latest promise against previous assurances by the administration. He said the government should be judged by its delivery of promised relief rather than by the announcement of additional programmes.
The ADC campaign council reiterated its claim that the ADC offers an alternative political platform ahead of the 2027 elections, saying its focus would be on making life more affordable and restoring economic security and public confidence. The council urged the APC leadership to acknowledge the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians instead of attempting to rewrite the country’s recent political and economic history.
Key points
- The ADC criticised the APC administration for failing to address the country's economic challenges.
- The ADC argued that the APC cannot distance itself from its past record.
- The ADC offered an alternative political platform ahead of the 2027 elections.
