ADC to Tinubu: Nigeria Is Not Lagos, Prepare to Leave in 2027

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the Presidency’s assurance that President Bola Tinubu does not intend to remain in power beyond 2031, warning that his constitutional mandate ends in 2027 and cautioning against any attempt to normalise tenure elongation.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Nigerians would not “wish to extend the President’s rule by a single day,” citing widespread insecurity, economic hardship, and abuse of power under his administration.

“Given the spate of banditry and killings across the country, the widespread hunger and suffering, the punitive taxes, and the flagrant abuse of power on a scale never seen before, the President should be preparing to leave in 2027,” Abdullahi stated. “Any plan to stay in office beyond that date would confirm this government’s inability to read the room.”

The statement followed the Presidency’s rebuttal of claims by former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai that Tinubu was nursing ambitions of becoming a “life president.” The ADC argued that the administration’s reaction only “confirms what Nigerians have long suspected — that it is out of touch with reality and dangerously self-satisfied.”

The party accused President Tinubu of treating re-election as a given, warning that a second term must be earned, not assumed.
“That the President is already speaking of remaining in office till 2031 betrays a mindset that sees re-election as a mere formality rather than a constitutional requirement to present his scorecard to the Nigerian people. Re-election is not automatic, and President Tinubu has not earned a second term,” the ADC said.

On security, the party alleged that bandits and terrorists now control parts of the North, levying taxes on citizens and operating with impunity.
“Under his watch, national security has degenerated into a cruel joke. Terrorists, bandits, and criminals operate freely. Citizens are kidnapped in broad daylight. Rural communities have become war zones,” Abdullahi added.

The ADC also painted a grim economic picture, accusing the administration of collapsing the naira, fuelling inflation, and crippling businesses.
“The naira has collapsed. Inflation is out of control. Food prices have tripled in many places. Jobs are vanishing. The middle class is disappearing. Businesses that once thrived are collapsing under punitive taxes and policy inconsistency,” the party said.

It further criticised the government’s handling of power supply, education, healthcare, and human rights, saying Nigerians were poorer and angrier since Tinubu assumed office.
“Given this comprehensive failure, it is not only insensitive but downright dangerous for anyone in the Tinubu presidency to speak so casually of a second term. The President should not be plotting to stay. He should be preparing to leave. He has done enough damage,” the statement read.

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The ADC concluded by accusing Tinubu of trying to replicate at the national level the political dominance he had enjoyed in Lagos since 2007.
“Let it be said clearly: Nigeria is not Lagos. Nigerians are watching. And come 2027, it won’t just be APC versus ADC — it will be APC versus the Nigerian people,” the party warned.