The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vehemently criticized the Nigerian Presidency for suggesting that President Bola Tinubu has no intention of extending his tenure beyond 2031, labeling the statement as presumptuous, undemocratic, and a clear sign of arrogance in power. The opposition party, in a series of statements issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, firmly asserted that President Tinubu’s mandate is constitutionally set to conclude in 2027, and Nigerians unequivocally expect him to vacate office by then, without a single day’s extension.

This sharp rebuke from the ADC comes as a direct response to remarks made by former governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who had implied President Bola Tinubu harbored ambitions of becoming a "life president." The Presidency's hurried reaction to these claims, according to the ADC, only serves to confirm what many Nigerians have long suspected: that the current administration is dangerously out of touch with public sentiment and exhibits alarming complacency. The party argued that for President Tinubu to already be discussing remaining in office until 2031 betrays a mindset that views re-election as a mere formality, rather than a crucial constitutional duty to present a credible scorecard of performance to the citizenry. The ADC stressed that re-election is far from automatic, and President Tinubu has, to date, demonstrably failed to earn a second term.

The ADC highlighted the profound deterioration of various facets of Nigerian life under Tinubu’s two-year administration. The party lamented that the country has been significantly divided, and a vast majority of Nigerians have been plunged deeper into abject poverty. They argued that the government's policies, including punitive taxes and inconsistencies, have crippled once-thriving businesses, leading to vanishing jobs and the gradual disappearance of the middle class. Food prices have tripled in many regions, and inflation remains spiraling out of control, directly contributing to a populace that is now undeniably poorer, hungrier, and angrier than before Tinubu assumed office.

Furthermore, the national security situation has, according to the ADC, degenerated into a "cruel joke." Terrorists, bandits, and various criminal elements now operate with alarming impunity, transforming rural communities into veritable warzones. Citizens face the constant threat of kidnapping in broad daylight, and substantial swathes of Northern territory are effectively under the control of bandits who even impose their own forms of taxation. The ADC concluded that the government has demonstrated neither the political will nor the operational capacity to effectively address and halt this metastasizing national trauma. In light of these critical failures, the African Democratic Congress firmly insisted that President Tinubu should be preparing to hand over power to a more competent Nigerian leader in 2027, rather than contemplating any form of tenure extension.