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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for declaring that he is prepared to “fight to the finish” politically, insisting that the President should channel such resolve against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers rather than the opposition.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party expressed deep concern that the President chose a meeting with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to make the remarks while Nigerians continue to live under the shadow of terrorism, banditry and violent crime.
The ADC noted that the comments came against the backdrop of worsening insecurity, including the recent attack on Naridon village in Kaduna State that claimed at least 30 lives. Given what it described as the administration’s catastrophic failure to secure lives and property, the party said one would have expected the President to be reflecting on his record rather than digging in politically.
“This is our message: 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 destabilise communities across the country,” the statement read.
Abdullahi further stated: “Mr President should reserve decisive words and actions like ‘fight to the finish’ to defeat the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers who continue to shed innocent Nigerian blood, not the opposition who want to save Nigerians from his misrule and failure.”
The party emphasised that elections are won by performance, not by 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. Those are the enemies he was elected to fight, and as things stand today, they remain undefeated.”
The ADC called on President Tinubu to prioritise the security of Nigerians above political combat and to demonstrate the same fighting spirit against the forces of terror that have continued to threaten the nation’s peace and stability.