Obi slams N712.3b airport renovation amid rising hunger
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and a former All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential hopeful have slammed President Tinubu’s early re-election campaign as illegal and tone-deaf, accusing the ruling party of ignoring Nigerians’ suffering while violating electoral laws and worsening the country’s crises.
In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the “choreographed endorsements” from Abuja to Kano “not only mock Nigerians’ suffering but also contravene the provisions of the Electoral Act and recent warnings from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which prohibits campaign activity until 150 days before an election.”
“While the ruling party chants ‘four more years’ and sings songs of a sinking mandate, inflation has galloped beyond the reach of ordinary citizens,” Abdullahi said. “The naira has collapsed, petrol prices have multiplied, kidnapping has morphed into an industry—this is a government distracted from its duty to govern.”
According to the party, inflation, already at 22 per cent in 2023, peaked at nearly 35 per cent last December and remains above 22 per cent. It stated that food, transport, and rent costs have surged by over 60 per cent since Tinubu assumed office, while the naira, which exchanged at around N461/$ in early 2023, has fallen to over N1,500/$, eroding savings and strangling small businesses.
The ADC also decried rising petrol prices, now averaging more than N1,000 per litre following the removal of fuel subsidy, and warned of a growing debt burden that is “devouring the treasury.”
Citing World Bank projections, the statement noted that debt servicing has overtaken federal revenue, leaving little space for investments in health, education, or infrastructure. “Revenue mobilisation is crawling at just 11 per cent of GDP, well below African averages, yet the government continues to borrow repeatedly,” it said.
On insecurity, the party painted a bleak picture, claiming that over 1,800 civilians and 122 security personnel were killed in violent incidents between April and June. In Zamfara State’s Sabon Gari Dirmi community alone, it said, more than 50 people were reportedly abducted last week in a mass kidnapping. “Our streets are lined not with security personnel but with Tinubu’s campaign billboards,” it added.
The party further cited persistent national grid collapses, worsening press freedom rankings, and rising corruption as signs of deepening governance failure.
“Under the APC, Nigerians are hungry, sick, and scared. But rather than confront these challenges, the government is building an army of digital propagandists and illusion creators,” Abdullahi stated.
The ADC demanded the immediate dismantling of what it called the APC’s “illegal campaign machinery” and pledged to challenge the ruling party “both in the public sphere and at the ballot box when the time comes.”
“Until the lawful campaign window opens, every political billboard is a billboard of illegality,” the statement concluded.
SIMILARLY, a former presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, Charles Udeogaranya, called on President Tinubu to halt any re-election moves, whether directly or through allies, and instead focus on delivering quality governance to Nigerians.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, Udeogaranya said the ongoing premature politicking by the President’s supporters was not only a distraction from governance but also a violation of the Electoral Act.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu needs to go low and silence his 2027 presidential ambition, particularly from his surrogates, which I think is ill-timed,” he said.
“There is time for everything, and now is the time for governance — at least until June 2026. No responsible democracy thrives on endless campaigns at the expense of leadership and development,” he added.
His remarks come on the heels of a recent warning by the Independent National Electoral Commission against early electioneering. The electoral body has cautioned political parties and aspirants to refrain from campaigning until it releases the official timetable for the 2027 general elections.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, recently raised alarm over “the growing proliferation of political posters, subtle endorsements, and intensifying verbal confrontations” among politicians, stressing that no political campaign for 2027 has been authorised.
Aligning with INEC’s position, Udeogaranya warned that an early focus on re-election was already heating the political climate and detracting from urgent governance needs across the country, including in states like Anambra.
“Political hibernation has a place in politics, and it should be carefully executed to avoid polluting or heating up the polity, so that governance can enjoy optimum time and attention,” he stated.
He also criticised the trend of diverting public funds and time from development efforts to political mobilisation and campaign planning.
“No amount of time is enough for politicians to conduct their trade through more meetings, mobilisations, and refreshments on the same dried purse meant for the people’s welfare,” he lamented.
Obi slams N712.3b airport renovation amid rising hunger
MEANWHILE, former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, has criticised the Federal Government’s approval of a N712.3 billion budget for airport renovation, describing it as a misplaced priority at a time when over 34 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger.
In a statement posted on his X handle yesterday, Obi said the decision to allocate such a huge sum to physical infrastructure while millions of citizens face food insecurity was a clear indictment of the government’s priorities.
“It is profoundly troubling that at a time when millions of Nigerians are battling hunger and hardship, the government chooses to spend N712 billion, not to feed the people or lift them out of poverty, but to renovate an airport,” he said.
The comment followed a warning issued by the United Nations in July, which was published in Nigerian media on August 1, 2025, indicating that 34 million Nigerians are facing acute food insecurity. On the same day, the Federal Government announced the launch of the airport renovation project, drawing backlash from citizens and rights groups.
Obi also raised concerns over the timing and scale of the spending, pointing out that the country had borrowed $500 million in 2013 to upgrade five international airports. He questioned the justification for spending an even larger sum on a single airport more than a decade later amid worsening economic conditions.
“Development is about choices. Hunger, health, education and security should come before terminals and tarmacs. A government that builds grandiose infrastructure while its people starve is not building a nation — it is betraying one,” he added.
While acknowledging the importance of infrastructure, the former Anambra State Governor maintained that human development should take precedence. He described food security as not just a welfare concern but a matter of national security and economic stability.
Obi urged the Federal Government to redirect public resources to more critical sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, education, and poverty alleviation. He also called on citizens to demand accountability and people-centred policies from their leaders.
“Every budget is a statement of values. What message are we sending when airports take precedence over lives? We must rethink our priorities and put Nigerians first,” he declared.
Obi concluded his statement with his signature message of optimism: “A New Nigeria is Possible — if we choose to prioritise people over projects, and compassion over contracts.”
Tinubu steering Nigeria towards liquidation, says Secondus
ALSO, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has accused President Bola Tinubu of presiding over the gradual liquidation of Nigeria’s democracy and economy.
Secondus stated this yesterday in Abuja at the ongoing public presentation of two new books authored by veteran journalist and political communicator, Ike Abonyi, titled ‘The Bubbles of Nigeria’s Democracy: The Musings of a Nigerian Journalist’ and ‘Wadata Wonders: Memoirs of a Partisan Journalist.’
According to Secondus, Nigeria’s current democratic structure is dysfunctional, with political parties lacking ideological coherence and institutional continuity.
He further warned that Nigeria is “on the verge of liquidation” under President Tinubu’s leadership. He said: “We are still far from getting to a point where we can say we have democracy. We don’t have democracy in our country. What we have is a platform for winning an election.”
Secondus lamented the absence of strong political institutions in Nigeria, contrasting the situation with South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC), which he described as an unshakable institution.
He noted that in Nigeria, politicians frequently switch parties without consequence, eroding democratic culture and stability.
Highlighting the importance of documentation and intellectual reflection, Secondus praised Abonyi for his contribution to national discourse through his books, which he said are a testament to experience and intellectual depth.
He also encouraged political actors and stakeholders to invest in building long-lasting party structures that can stand the test of time.
“Until we establish proper democratic political parties where people can stay 30, 40, 50 years, build and reconstruct, the country will not move forward,” he said.
