By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has launched a blistering attack on the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal administration, branding it the most incompetent in Nigeria’s history.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the party accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of plunging the nation into fiscal chaos, pointing to the unprecedented situation of running three national budgets simultaneously while effectively implementing none. It also cited a string of policy U-turns and appointment reversals as evidence of administrative dysfunction.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, claimed the government’s fixation on electoral politics had come at a devastating cost to governance, inflicting damage on the country unseen in previous administrations.
‘Three Budgets, No Implementation’
The ADC’s full statement zeroed in on the government’s handling of public finances, describing it as a state of “utter confusion.”
According to the party, this marks the first time in Nigerian history that an administration has attempted to operate three budgets at once. Reports indicate that while the 2024 budget was rolled over into 2025, by the third quarter of last year, only 17.7% of the capital budget had been released, with overall implementation languishing below 30%.
The party dismissed the government’s defence that this is a “deliberate strategy” and a “transition cost” to ensure the completion of multi-year projects, calling it a “blatant falsehood.”
The statement further noted that 30% of the 2025 budget is scheduled to run from February 2026 to November, while the remaining 70% is to be rolled over into the yet-to-be-passed 2026 budget. It highlighted President Tinubu’s promise last year that all capital components of the 2024 and 2025 budgets would be concluded by 31st March 2026, a deadline the ADC described as impossible.
Key Ministries Starved of Funds
The party released damning figures on capital budget implementation, revealing that the Ministry of Power has accessed a mere 3.6% of its allocation. The Communications Technology sector stands at 8.9%, while Education and Health have received just 23.5% and 32.5% respectively.
“No serious government would leave these sectors, which are crucial to national human capital development, largely unfunded,” the statement read, contrasting this with the “obscene opulence” of select officials amid widespread poverty.
The only ministry outperforming its budget, the ADC noted, is Defence, which has seen 113.45% implementation, largely funded through the opaque Service-Wide Vote. Despite this, the party claims insecurity has worsened, alleging that up to 500 Nigerians may have been killed by terrorists in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Kebbi during the current Ramadan period alone.
‘Where is the Money Going?’
The opposition party questioned the government’s boasts of historic revenue collection, record foreign reserves, and aggressive borrowing, juxtaposing these claims with unimplemented budgets and unpaid contractors.
“This is the reason Nigerians are suffering like never before and asking the most important questions: what is this government doing with all the money?” the ADC demanded, noting that the citizenry is worse off now than three years ago.
A Government ‘Distracted’ by Politics
The statement also lambasted the administration for a series of policy reversals and appointment changes, which analysts have counted at least seven since the government came to power. The ADC attributed this to a leadership that is “distracted” and obsessed with power for its own sake.
“Nigerians are being slaughtered at an industrial scale across the country while the government feasts,” the party said, pointing out that despite propaganda claiming otherwise, Nigeria retains the unenviable status of having the highest number of people living in extreme poverty globally, with six out of every ten citizens unable to feed themselves.
The ADC concluded its rebuke by noting the government’s tendency to gloat over its victory in the recent FCT election while fixating on the ADC’s own online membership registration, suggesting misplaced priorities at a time of national crisis.
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