Fight insecurity, not opposition- ADC  tells Tinubu

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticized President Bola Tinubu over his declaration that he was prepared to “fight to the finish” politically, urging him to channel the same determination toward tackling terrorism, banditry and kidnapping rather than confronting the opposition.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said Nigerians expected the President to demonstrate stronger leadership in addressing the country’s worsening security challenges instead of engaging in political battles.

The ADC said it found the timing of the President’s remarks particularly disturbing, noting that they were made during a meeting with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, only hours after gunmen reportedly killed at least 30 people in Naridon village, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

According to the party, the President’s priority should be confronting the country’s security crisis rather than focusing on political opponents.

“Nigerians did not elect a Commander-in-Chief to become the nation’s chief issuer of condolence statements,” the statement said.

“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 destabilize communities across the country.”

The ADC said the attack on Naridon village left homes destroyed, families displaced and another community devastated by violence, arguing that such incidents required more decisive action from the Federal Government.

Abdullahi accused the administration of responding to repeated attacks with statements of sympathy rather than effective measures to halt the violence.

“After every attack comes another statement. After every massacre comes another condemnation. After every tragedy comes another expression of sympathy,” he said.

The opposition party further argued that President Tinubu appeared more confrontational toward the opposition than toward those responsible for insecurity across the country.

“What is equally disturbing is that when it comes to insecurity, President Tinubu is a commentator. However, when it comes to the opposition, he is a combatant,” Abdullahi said.

He urged the President to reserve expressions such as “fight to the finish” for efforts aimed at defeating terrorists, bandits and kidnappers instead of political rivals.

The ADC maintained that more than three years into the Tinubu administration, the government had yet to establish a security record that justified what it described as political bravado.

“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 statement added.

The party concluded by urging the President to focus on restoring security and protecting lives, insisting that electoral victories are earned through performance rather than declarations of political toughness.