The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has accused President Bola Tinubu of showing contempt for Nigerians over his reported decision not to campaign in every state of the federation.
The council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the claim while receiving a delegation of youths from Young Voters for Atiku (YVA). He described the president’s reported stance as arrogant and insulting to the Nigerian people.
Ologbondiyan said an incumbent seeking re-election should be ready to meet voters, explain his record and outline his plans for the future. According to him, the reported decision reveals the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s disdain for ordinary citizens.
He also claimed the ADC had been politically strengthened since the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, adding that the event drew no endorsements from ADC members or sympathisers.
Ologbondiyan argued that Tinubu’s reluctance would work in favour of the ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
He described Atiku as physically energetic, mentally alert and ready to visit all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to seek the people’s mandate and present his manifesto for national recovery.
“What President Tinubu has done is a clear act of contempt against the Nigerian people. The APC is known for its contempt for Nigerians. How can a man who wants to be re-elected as president, after failing woefully, say he does not want to visit the people he seeks to govern? It is an aberration of norm,” he said.
The ADC-PCC spokesman rejected the argument that official engagements could keep the president off the campaign trail. He called the explanation unconvincing and said the real issue was the administration’s record, along with other reasons Nigerians believe are personal to the president.
“Saying that he (Tinubu) will be attending to official assignments is untrue, fake, deceitful and insincere. Didn’t former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari attend to official duties while campaigning for their return tickets? Didn’t Donald Trump campaign? Didn’t Kamala Harris campaign? Why is Tinubu’s case different?” he asked.
Ologbondiyan further accused the president of treating Nigerians with levity and said a leader unwilling to engage voters directly should reconsider seeking a second term.
“President Tinubu has taken Nigerians for a joke and should not seek re-election. A president who is afraid to face his own people has no business asking for their votes,” he said.
He added that seeking a renewed mandate demands humility, accountability and a readiness to engage citizens on the state of the nation, and that the reported decision reinforced the perception that the APC takes Nigerians for granted.
The ADC-PCC director also alleged that the president was avoiding the electorate because of widespread public anger over hunger, poverty, insecurity and the state of the economy.
“He knows Nigerians are hungry and angry. He knows that the average Nigerian finds it difficult to eat and to be secure. He has failed on all fronts, so he is afraid to face Nigerians. He is running away from the reality he created,” he said.
Ologbondiyan urged Nigerians, especially young voters, to reject the APC in the 2027 general election, arguing that another term for the ruling party would prolong current hardship.
“I appeal to every young Nigerian to reject them. Let us collectively reject hunger, reject poverty, reject hardship and reject insecurity. The APC has brought only pain to Nigerians. It is time to say enough is enough,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that if elected, Atiku would prioritise economic recovery, wealth creation, national security and better living standards, and said the candidate had the experience and capacity to restore public confidence in governance.
“Atiku Abubakar will bring back subsidy to reduce the cost of petroleum products, create wealth, end hunger in our land, secure our nation and restore our battered economy.
He has the experience, the capacity and the compassion to rescue Nigeria. He is fit, ready and prepared to lead Nigeria out of this present predicament,” he said.
