Nigerians Yet to See Effect of Increase in Defence Budget, ADC Replies Presidency

• Says with 31 governors, APC still nervous 

•Ruling party says opposition’s outburst toxic, desperate, disgraceful

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Segun James in Lagos

African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the tone of its message to President Bola Tinubu on his 74th birthday was not borne out of malice but meant to draw his attention to the everyday living realities of Nigerians.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, had in a statement on X on Sunday, while sending Tinubu good wishes on his birthday, also drawn his attention to the present realities in the country.

Abdullahi, in another statement yesterday, said the party noted the rebuttal by Sunday Dare, one of the president’s many media aides, in response to the ADC birthday message, but added that Dare avoided real issues raised by the party.

He said in the short time between ADC’s birthday message and the rebuttal, about 12 Nigerians were killed in Plateau State.

“This is why Nigerians expect urgency, not explanations,” Abdullahi said.

He stated that the presidency’s defence had always been that the defence spending had increased, but pointed out that such had not translated into the safety of the people.

The statement said, “Nigerians are right to ask why they still feel unsafe in their homes, on their roads, and in their farms?

“And sometimes, it even feels like these government’s policies are harsher on Nigerians than the government is on terrorists and bandits, who, disturbingly, have at times been referred to as ‘sons’ and ‘brothers.’”

He added that if the government was truly firm in its resolve, Nigerians deserved to see that firmness reflected, first, in the protection of innocent lives.

The ADC spokesperson stated, “What Nigerians expect is accountability. What we receive instead are lectures. Nigerians are often infantilised; told we complain only because we do not understand what the government is doing. They speak as if governance is a mystery.

“We are told that the hardship is necessary. That this is reform. But Nigerians really want to know: when will this ‘necessary pain’ begin to produce relief that people can actually feel?”

ADC had earlier criticised APC over its alleged nervousness ahead of the 2027 general election, say-ing it remains jittery despite controlling 31 states and commanding about 90 per cent of members in the National Assembly.

Abdullahi, who made the remarks during a television interview, questioned APC’s “growing anxiety” ahead of the 2027 general election.

He said the ruling party’s dominance across political structures should ordinarily translate into confidence, but stated that the reverse appeared to be the case.

Abdullahi stated, “Why is a party with 31 governors and about 90 per cent of the national assembly still panicking? Why are they still trying to destabilise other opposition parties?”

Abdullahi stated that APC’s posture suggested a lack of confidence in its electoral prospects, particularly in the event of a free and fair contest.

APC: ADC’s Outburst Toxic, Desperate, Disgraceful

Lagos State Chapter of APC accused ADC of passing off a “disgraceful statement” as a birthday message to Tinubu.

The Lagos APC, in a statement by its spokesman, Seye Oladejo, regretted that “at a time when basic human decency demands restraint and goodwill, the ADC chose the low road of bitterness and petty political hostility”.

It said, “This conduct is not only irresponsible; it is a stark admission of an opposition in deep crisis – rudderless, frustrated, and clearly overwhelmed by its own irrelevance.”

Oladejo stressed that Nigerians needed only to recall the disposition shown by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in responding to the personal loss of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, while still undergoing criminal trial.

He stated, “That moment demonstrated that even in the face of serious institutional processes, civility, humanity, and respect must never be discarded. The ADC’s conduct stands in sharp and embarrassing contrast.

“It reveals a political platform that has abandoned all pretence of maturity and is now fully consumed by desperation and hopelessness. When a party cannot distinguish between legitimate opposition and sheer recklessness, it forfeits any claim to seriousness.

“This brand of mindless toxicity is not opposition – it is political bankruptcy laid bare. Nigerians deserve an opposition that can think, organise, and present alternatives –not one that lashes out in fits of frustration and calls it engagement.

“If the ADC has any remaining regard for its public standing, it should urgently redirect the energy it currently expends on senseless attacks into the far more urgent task of organising itself into something that at least resembles a functional political association.”