ADC to Tinubu: Nigerians Need Results, Not Fresh Promises

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed President Bola Tinubu's Democracy Day address as a mere campaign speech, asserting that Nigerians deserve concrete results rather than fresh promises after three years of his administration and 11 years of All Progressives Congress (APC) rule. The party argued that the President's repeated assurances on economic recovery, security, and job creation implicitly admit the APC's failure to deliver on its 2015 promises.

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While we join Nigerians in commemorating the sacrifices of the heroes of June 12 and celebrating 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule, we find it quite unfortunate that rather than use the occasion to demonstrate how this democracy under his watch has delivered real benefits to citizens, the President chose to speak like a candidate contesting for election rather than a leader who has been in the saddle for more than three years.

In a statement, the ADC's National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, contended that a government still requesting patience after over a decade in power cannot perpetually blame the past for Nigeria's escalating insecurity, cost-of-living crisis, and unemployment. The opposition party stressed that Democracy Day should have been an occasion for the President to highlight the benefits citizens have received under his leadership, not another platform for campaign pledges.

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President Tinubu’s address was long on promises and short on answers. What Nigerians heard today was not the speech of a government entering its fourth year in office. It was the speech of a candidate seeking another mandate.

Abdullahi further criticized the National Assembly for adjourning for recess on a historically significant day that should have been used by the people's representatives to assess Nigeria's democratic journey. He noted that Tinubu's address was "long on promises and short on answers," sounding more like a candidate seeking a mandate than a leader in office for over three years. The ADC questioned why, after so many years of APC governance, Nigerians are still hearing about promises instead of fulfilled objectives.

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The question Nigerians should be asking is simple: after three years of President Tinubu and 11 years of APC rule, why are we still talking about promises?

The party recalled the APC's initial promises in 2015 to tackle insecurity, revive the economy, create jobs, reduce poverty, strengthen institutions, and improve the quality of life. The continued focus on these same issues in government speeches, according to the ADC, is an admission that these promises remain unfulfilled. The ADC found it particularly striking that the President attempted to present his administration's actions as achievements.

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Eleven years later, these same issues continue to dominate the government’s speeches. The fact that the President is still making many of the same promises that brought the APC to power is itself an admission that those promises remain unfulfilled.