“Tinubu Govt Lacks Clear Direction” — ADC National Secretary

In this interview, African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, speaks on the leadership tussle in the party, the state of the opposition, and his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s government. He argues that the administration lacks clear direction and is pushing Nigerians deeper into hardship.

What is your reaction to the court order said to have stopped Mark and Aregbesola from acting as party leaders?

We knew from day one that the same forces which had destabilised other opposition parties would not allow the ADC coalition to take off smoothly without challenge.

When we saw the report yesterday that there was a court order restraining INEC and the leadership of the ADC from performing their roles, we found it a bit curious. Curious in the sense that, even as laymen, we know injunctions are granted to stop something that has not yet happened. You don’t give an injunction against something that has already taken place.

So, INEC had already acted and recognised the leadership. You can’t give an injunction against something that has already happened. We found it quite strange, so we asked for the document, the actual ruling. Then we discovered that no such ruling existed.

That led us to the logical question: what was the motive of those spreading this disinformation and misleading the public? But again, you cannot hide. We saw the people spreading these stories, and they are directly connected to people within government circles.

We know it is a continuation of the same agents of destabilisation working so hard to drag Nigeria towards a one-party state. Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for them, the ruling was very clear. The prayer put before the court was outrightly rejected. The only implication for us is that we should be put on notice and make our appearance on 15 September.

For us, the decision that produced the new leadership was taken at the 99th NEC meeting of the party, which was observed by the Independent National Electoral Commission as required by the rules. Some of you were there. The decision to bring in the new leadership was unanimously carried.

So what we have is a situation where a tiny minority, one or two people, are going behind to object to what has been done, even though they could not stop the NEC from taking that decision. It is curious that the same minority would now go to court to try to overturn the party’s decision. Don’t forget, the Supreme Court has already settled the question of party leadership.

The leadership of a party and its candidates is entirely the business and decision of the party, not the courts. So whatever they are doing will not hold water. It is doomed to fail. We just did not expect that they would drag the judiciary’s reputation into their political fight.

If we had not seen the ruling and acted on the assumption that the court had granted their wish, it would have reflected badly on the judiciary, because the Federal High Court would have acted in error to grant such a request. That is why I say we are not bothered by this. We expect more of such moves.

It only shows the desperation of the people behind it. As the African Democratic Congress, we are not going to be distracted. We have taken our decisions, moved on, and are focused on building our party.

Dr Kachukwu says the ADC’s new leaders are just retired politicians. What is your response?

First, he has no business in this conversation. He is not even a member of the African Democratic Congress. That is very clear.

Second, a one-time presidential candidate or any candidate of a party does not own the party and has no say in its direction. You were given the ticket to run in one election. That does not make you a permanent candidate, nor does it give you any authority over the party’s leadership, NWC, or NEC. So, you wonder on what basis this individual is acting.

Some narratives used in public discourse are disturbing. When you begin to castigate people simply because of their age, when did it become a crime to be an older person? In civilised societies, people are arrested for profiling others in ways that exclude them from their democratic rights.

So when you keep saying ‘old people, old people’, is it a crime to be old? That is one. Second, he talks of ‘recycled politicians.’ Who in Nigerian politics is not recycled? Name one politician who has not been in more than one party or held more than one position. Are we going to manufacture a brand-new political class overnight? Politics in Nigeria is done by the same people. We are not going to import foreigners to do politics for us.

So, when I listen to his rhetoric, I find it wrong, divisive, inflammatory, and condemnable. He keeps saying ‘North, South, Northerners.’ Who talks like that? This is someone who, however ridiculous, once aspired to be president of Nigeria, yet he promotes such divisive rhetoric. It is quite unfortunate. I will not say more than that.

Will you reconcile with aggrieved members of the party?

We will be happy to talk to anyone who is willing to engage. Even within the leadership, some voluntarily resigned their positions. Others expressed one grievance or another.

We have recognised certain grievances as legitimate and addressed them. But when people become belligerent, to the point that you cannot doubt their ulterior motive – which is clearly to destabilise the party and create conditions that make it difficult for us to move forward, then we cannot continue to appease such people.

If, however, anyone is willing to sit down tomorrow and say, ‘These are my grievances, and I would like them addressed,’ I can assure you those grievances will be considered to the extent they can be accommodated.

But if the objective is to drag the party back and create the impression that we are permanently in crisis, don’t forget, this was the same tactic used against the PDP, Labour Party, and SDP, then we will move on. The same forces driving those crises are also behind these individuals.

As for the person who went to court, with due respect, I know him, and I am confident he does not have the resources to sustain such a case. So who is funding and encouraging it? If they are willing to talk, we are willing. But if they choose to continue along this path, we will move forward and be ready to face them for whatever it is worth.

You accused the government of failure in infrastructure and of running on propaganda and nepotism. Can you explain?

If you take a roll call of the current administration’s appointments and attach positions to names, you don’t need to add anything. It is clear they run a government that recognises only a small circle of cronies and friends.

Now, in reaction to accusations that they favour certain parts of the country while ignoring others, the government tried to publish ‘facts’ to disprove allegations of bias. Ironically, by doing so, they confirmed the allegations.

You find projects that belong to one geopolitical zone listed under another. Projects duplicated, with double entries. A 34-kilometre road exaggerated and recorded as over 130 kilometres. So, you ask yourself: is someone being creative with statistics, doctoring figures to fit a narrative of equity and balance? Or is it sheer incompetence? Either way, it does not exonerate the government.

We maintain that they are competent only at creating statistics that suit the propaganda they push. That is why we made our statement. The government is in panic mode and has ended up confirming, rather than denying, its sectional bias.

Is four years enough to judge this government’s performance?

You said we have been critical of the ruling party. That is our job. That is what opposition parties do, and that is what the government hates most. They want a situation where no one asks questions or shines a light on their actions. But our work is to do just that.

Now, is four years enough? Yes, we have seen leaders who delivered sterling achievements in four years.

The constitution allows for a second term so that if you start something in your first tenure, you can continue in the second, provided people are satisfied with your direction. But the real question is: what direction is this government taking Nigerians?

This government removed fuel subsidy from day one. I am not debating whether subsidy is good or bad. The fact is, its removal has caused untold hardship for Nigerians. No mitigating measures were introduced to cushion the impact.

Instead, they added to the suffering with devaluation of the Naira, which eroded purchasing power. Someone earning ₦35,000 can no longer afford what they previously could. Globally, the extreme poverty line is $2.50 per day. Converted at today’s exchange rate, that is about ₦93,000 to ₦94,000. So even if you pay ₦70,000 minimum wage, most Nigerians remain below the extreme poverty line.

On top of that, they announced a 5% petrol tax effective January next year. For a vulcaniser or small business owner, this means paying extra on every litre of petrol purchased. Then, another 5% aviation tax was introduced, even as flight tickets are already out of reach for the average middle-class Nigerian. Airlines will pass this VAT onto passengers, raising costs further.