The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his declaration that he was prepared to “fight to the finish” politically, urging him to direct such determination towards defeating terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal groups.
The party also said the President should consider leaving office rather than seeking re-election, accusing his administration of failing to protect lives and property.
In a statement to Naijaonpoint issued on Wednesday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said it was troubling that Tinubu made the remark during a meeting with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while the country continued to face deadly attacks.
The opposition party referred to the recent attack on Naridon village in the Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where at least 30 people were reportedly killed.
It said homes were burnt and families displaced during the late-night attack, describing the incident as another example of the worsening security situation in the country.
“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 destabilise communities across the country,” the statement read.
The party argued that the President’s primary responsibility was to safeguard Nigerians rather than focus on political opponents.
The ADC accused Tinubu of responding to attacks with statements, condemnations and expressions of sympathy without taking sufficient action to prevent further killings.
It described him as Nigeria’s “Statement Maker-in-Chief,” adding that Nigerians elected a Commander-in-Chief, not a leader whose response to every tragedy was another condolence message.
“After every attack comes another statement. After every massacre comes another condemnation. After every tragedy comes another expression of sympathy,” the party said.
“Nigerians did not elect a Commander-in-Chief to become the nation’s chief issuer of condolence statements.”
The ADC further alleged that Tinubu had shown greater determination in confronting political rivals than in tackling insecurity.
“What is equally disturbing is that when it comes to insecurity, President Tinubu is a commentator. However, when it comes to the opposition, he is a combatant,” it said.
The party urged the President to reserve expressions such as “fight to the finish” for the campaign against terrorists and bandits rather than opposition parties.
It said Tinubu should be leading efforts against armed groups that had turned communities into “killing fields” and displaced residents across the country.
The opposition party said the administration’s security record did not justify what it described as the President’s political bravado.
It maintained that after more than three years in office, the government had yet to demonstrate that it had defeated terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
“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,” the statement added.
The ADC argued that elections should be won through performance rather than declarations of political toughness.
“The President’s real opponents are not the opposition. They are terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and the growing insecurity that continues to claim innocent Nigerian lives,” the party said.
“Those are the enemies he was elected to fight, and as things stand today, they remain undefeated.”
