The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has fiercely rejected claims by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has begun early campaigning for the 2027 presidential election, branding the accusation “misguided, unserious and a cheap bid for relevance.”
In a strongly worded statement issued yesterday, the ruling party insisted that the President is wholly focused on governance and tackling insecurity, rather than electioneering.
Read also: ADC condemns Tinubu’s ‘campaign vehicles’
“President Tinubu is governing Nigeria, not campaigning,” the APC declared. “Only those who neither understand leadership nor contribute anything meaningful to national discourse would find this confusing.”
The party mocked the ADC’s electoral pedigree, stating that a party that “lacks the capacity to win even grassroots positions” has no moral standing to lecture the Presidency. It described the opposition’s outburst as “a distraction from a group desperately struggling for political visibility.”
Addressing the ADC’s criticism of persisting insecurity, the Lagos APC highlighted President Tinubu’s intensified efforts, including massive deployment of security personnel, improved intelligence coordination and hands-on oversight of rescue operations across troubled zones.
It accused the ADC of exploiting national security challenges “for cheap political gains” while offering no tangible solutions of its own.
The statement further dismissed any suggestion that routine presidential communication and policy directives amount to campaign activities.
“A sitting President must lead, speak and mobilise the nation every day,” the APC argued.
Read also: Lagos not for ‘political apprentices’, APC tells ADC
“Governance cannot be paused simply because an opposition party chooses to view every action through a 2027 prism.”
In a stinging closing challenge, the Lagos APC dared the ADC to first prove its organisational strength by winning a single polling unit in Lagos, conducting a crisis-free state congress or fielding a credible candidate before presuming to critique national leadership.
“Nigeria is moving forward under President Tinubu’s reforms and renewed security push,” the party concluded, “with or without the approval of political spectators who have nothing to offer beyond noise.”
