African Democratic Congress on Wednesday lambasted President Bola Tinubu over his comments on the opposition, saying the President should focus on defeating terrorists rather than fighting political opponents.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said in a statement that it was disturbing that the President made the remarks during a meeting with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria while the country continues to grapple with widespread insecurity, including a recent deadly attack in Kaduna State.
President Tinubu, in his reaction to a call by the bishops for free and fair elections during the meeting, had said he was prepared for a political fight, declaring: “All is fair in politics, and there is equal opportunity.
“INEC is neutral. It has never, ever intimidated anybody. If political opponents are crying wolf, then they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainty in the company they keep.”
ADC in its reaction to the comments, described President Tinubu as Nigeria’s “Statement Maker-in-Chief,” accusing the All Progressives Congress administration of responding to attacks with mere condemnations rather than decisive action.
The ADC expressed deep concern that President Tinubu chose a meeting with Catholic Bishops to declare he was prepared to “fight to the finish” politically at a time when “Nigerians continue to live under the shadow of terrorism, banditry, and violent crime.”
According to the party, “Mr. President, the fight Nigerians elected you to lead is not against the opposition. It is against the terrorists, kidnappers, and armed criminals who continue to kill innocent citizens and destabilize communities across the country.
“Only hours before the President’s remarks, at least 30 people were killed in a late-night attack on Naridon village in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Homes were burnt, families were displaced, and another community was left devastated by an attack that should never have happened.
“Yet, the President, whose primary duty is to protect and preserve Nigerian lives, has chosen instead to serve as Nigeria’s Statement Maker-in-Chief. After every attack comes another statement. After every massacre comes another condemnation. After every tragedy comes another expression of sympathy. Nigerians did not elect a Commander-in-Chief to become the nation’s chief issuer of condolence statements.”
ADC added that it is even more disturbing that “when it comes to insecurity, President Tinubu is a commentator; when it comes to the opposition, he is a combatant.”
It maintained that the President should reserve decisive words and actions like “fight to the finish” for defeating the terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers shedding innocent blood, rather than fighting “the opposition who want to save Nigerians from his misrule and failure.”
Instead of preparing for political battles, the ADC urged President Tinubu to lead the fight against those forcing countless Nigerians from their homes.
The opposition party said, “That is the battle the country expects him to win.
“After more than three years in office, this administration cannot point to a security record that justifies political bravado. Given its catastrophic failure to secure lives and property, one would have expected the President to be reflecting on his record, not digging in politically.”
