The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu over his October 1 address, describing it as a budget presentation speech instead of Independence Day message.
Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson of the coalition-backed party, said Tinubu missed the essence of the day by focusing more on his administration’s records than the history and unity of the country.
“Listening to the President, you will think he was delivering his budget speech, annual performance review, rather than speaking to a history of a nation like Nigeria, at this critical time,” Abdullahi stated.
The President had highlighted reforms and economic achievements of his government in the last 28 months during his Independence Day broadcast.
Abdullahi argued that the Independence Day celebration was about the country, not about one government. He faulted the President’s speech writers, saying “the President’s speech writers failed to understand the historical significance of this moment.”
He stressed that Tinubu failed to connect his remarks with Nigeria’s past struggles and future hopes. Instead, he said, the President limited himself to campaign-style rhetoric.
The ADC spokesperson also dismissed the economic gains Tinubu listed as “superficial and propaganda,” insisting they do not reflect the daily reality of ordinary Nigerians. He added that the President only made a passing remark on insecurity, even though citizens live in constant fear.
“For me, I think it’s a big disappointment that the President did not understand the historical significance of this moment, and rather choose to use the budget speech to say this is what my government has done,” he said.
He added that Tinubu sounded more like a partisan leader than a national figure, noting that the address “failed to speak to our past and inspire our future.”
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
