Amidst growing fear over President Ahmed Tinubu's culpability over drug dealings in the United States, now a subject of concern in US courts, the African Democratic Congress, ADC has again warned that the President could be arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. This is as the main opposition party has described the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s revised Presidential Campaign Council as “a crowded confession of Tinubu’s fear”, accusing Tinubu of relying on political heavyweights rather than addressing Nigerians’ economic hardship and insecurity. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the size of the campaign council reflects a government more concerned with assembling political support than accounting for its performance in office. In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the party’s, Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku argued that the number of politicians on the list would not erase the effects of rising living costs, violence and kidnapping on Nigerians. “Only a man afraid of his record would think he could bury it under hundreds of names. Tinubu can gather every governor, minister and political defector in Nigeria. None of them can erase the hunger in people’s homes, bring back those killed by violence or free Nigerians still held captive. Their families are waiting for answers, not another campaign list,” he said. Atiku also criticised the administration’s economic policies, alleging that the government prioritises its political machinery while asking struggling Nigerians to make further sacrifices. “Tinubu has room for an army of ministers and a stadium full of campaign officials, but no room in his plans for Nigerians crushed by the cost of living. He feeds his political machine and tells hungry families to sacrifice,” he said. The former vice-president added that political endorsements and defections would not necessarily translate into public support, insisting that voters would judge the President by their living conditions. He also condemned the decision to inaugurate the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, describing the venue as an inappropriate setting for a party political event. “The Presidential Villa belongs to the Nigerian people. It is not a campaign venue or the private property of any political party. Using it for an APC political event is a gross breach of public trust and a troubling abuse of public office,” Atiku said. He questioned why the inauguration was held at the Villa when Abuja had other venues capable of hosting the gathering. According to him, a President confident in his record should be willing to face the public openly and seek another mandate based on his administration’s achievements. Atiku further accused Tinubu of responding to criticism of the initial campaign council by expanding the list and drawing more politicians from other parties. “When the first list drew criticism, Tinubu had a chance to show that he understood the country’s anger. Instead, he returned with an even longer list, reaching into other parties for more names. He is collecting politicians like shields against public judgment,” he said. The ADC chieftain linked his criticism to the country’s economic and security challenges, citing a reported increase of 17.9 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty in the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index. He also alleged that millions of Nigerians had experienced worsening hardship under Tinubu’s leadership, while insecurity continued to leave families traumatised and uncertain about the safety of their loved ones. Atiku maintained that the number of politicians supporting the President would not resolve the challenges confronting households, workers and parents struggling to meet basic expenses. “No campaign council, however crowded, can make food affordable, restore a worker’s purchasing power or explain why the sacrifices demanded of ordinary Nigerians never seem to reach Tinubu’s own political circle,” he said. He contrasted the APC’s expanded campaign structure with what he described as the ADC’s focused campaign team, saying his party intended to take its case directly to Nigerians. Atiku said the forthcoming election would ultimately be determined by voters’ experiences rather than the size of either party’s campaign machinery. “On January 16, the ballot will contain no column for the size of a campaign council. Nigerians will judge Tinubu by the lives they have lived under his government,” he said. He cited the struggles of families unable to afford sufficient food, workers whose wages were eroded by transport costs, parents struggling to pay school fees and households worried about relatives travelling through unsafe areas and concluded that no number of political endorsements could insulate the President from public scrutiny over the economy and insecurity. “Tinubu can surround himself with every political heavyweight in Nigeria; on election day, he will still face the people who lived through his failures and their list is much longer,” he said. Atiku's vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi also insists that Tinubu could still be arrested by the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague over his alleged history of drug dealing in the United States and disclosed that a some government's officials would be arrested with the President and prosecuted by the ICC. Addressing ADC stakeholders in a video, Amaechi warned Tinubu against his administration’s crackdown on the opposition, citing the case of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently in detention over the deaths of thousands of people. According to Amaechi: “We must be ready. You know why? International law says there is a number of persons that must die at the hands of this government before Tinubu will be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court. “His Attorney-General was my lawyer, and he knows the number of people the government must kill before Tinubu will be prosecuted. Tinubu will not leave Nigeria. Even if he wants to leave Nigeria, they will pick him from here. “Who remembers the former Philippine president? Five thousand persons were killed, and they went to where he was hiding and took him. It was at the airport that the president tried to stop them. They told him, ‘We are not leaving him alone.’ After negotiating with the him, they took him, and he is in detention. Ask anybody who has studied international law. Even Tinubu knows that this is the problem for him. “One thing about international law is that it is not only Tinubu that they will catch. The General, the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector-General of Police who issued the instructions will also be arrested. That is international law.” Meanwhile, fears over Tinubu's health continue to spread, with Arise Television’s 'Morning Show' anchor, Rufai Oseni claiming that the President is not well enough to campaign across Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general election. Oseni dismissed suggestions that Tinubu’s reported decision to campaign in only 12 states was a strategic move, arguing that the president is unable to undertake a wider campaign. He made the remarks Friday October 16 while discussing political developments ahead of the 2027 presidential election. According to the broadcaster, Tinubu campaigned extensively across states during the 2023 general election even when he was not the presidential candidate. Citing former President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign strategy, Oseni noted that Buhari sometimes visited two states in a single day to complete his campaign within 18 days. “The argument that they are making, that a lot of them are now making that President Tinubu will now campaigning only in those 12 states is strategic... it’s not strategy; he doesn’t have the capacity to campaign. Let’s stop deceiving ourselves,” Oseni said. “In the last election, he campaigned in most of the states. In the election that was not even his, he went round and campaigned. Even Buhari that a lot of people cast aspersions at, what Buhari just did was that in some instances he covered two states in a day, so that he was able to condense everything into 18 days. “Tinubu doesn’t just have the capacity to campaign. So let’s continue to deceive ourselves. You see, when I talk about Nigeria, I’m at sea as regards the level of deceit we have for ourselves, and that’s why this country doesn’t move forward, that’s why the things we talked about in 2015, we’ll keep talking about them today again,” he added.

Posted: 9hours ago

Author: Editor in Chief

Current date: 18 October 2026