Opposition parties yesterday urged President Bola Tinubu to confront worsening insecurity and economic hardship rather than engage in political battles.

The parties accused the President of prioritising re-election politics over governance after he declared on Tuesday that he was prepared to “wrestle” political opponents to the finish.

Speaking while receiving members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, at the State House, Abuja, Tinubu said anyone seeking to unseat him must be prepared to “wrestle” him to the finish.

“I asked for this job. I’m in it. Those who will take it from me will try. They will try. All is fair in politics, and it’s equal opportunity,” the President said.

He also defended the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), dismissing concerns raised by opposition parties over the electoral process.

“INEC, you mentioned, is neutral. They’ve never intimidated anybody. If political opponents are crying wolves, maybe they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainty in the companies they keep, not me.

“I’m ready, but I won’t give them a red carpet. I won’t offer them the leash to tie me and rope me. No, we wrestle each other to the finishing point,” he added.

Tinubu also said the quality of life in the country was improving despite prevailing challenges, maintaining that his administration inherited significant economic and governance burdens from its predecessor.

“The quality of life is improving. Our founding fathers did their best; they lived for the nation, and we owe it to generations yet unborn to build a nation of unity, stability and prosperity,” he said.

The President cited the stability of the academic calendar as one of his administration’s achievements, noting that universities had remained open without prolonged strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

“You can’t say a four-year course is not four years. ASUU is not on strike. They are not bringing agony to your homes. Is that not an answer to our prayers?” he asked.

On insecurity, Tinubu acknowledged the country’s challenges but insisted his administration remained committed to addressing them.

“The security situation is what it is. We don’t have another country but Nigeria… The challenges are there. I inherited them. I didn’t run away,” he said.

ADC: Fight terrorists, not opposition; we’ll protect votes, not rely on INEC in 2027

However, the African Democratic Congress criticised President Tinubu over his declaration that he is prepared to “fight to the finish” politically, urging him instead to focus on tackling terrorism, banditry and other security challenges facing the country.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the President’s remarks as misplaced, noting that they came amid worsening insecurity, including the recent attack on Naridon village in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where at least 30 people were reportedly killed.

The ADC said it was concerned that President Tinubu chose the meeting with the Catholic bishops at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to declare his readiness to “fight to the finish” politically while Nigerians continued to live under the threat of terrorism, banditry and violent crime.

According to the party, the President should direct such determination towards defeating terrorists, kidnappers and other armed criminal groups rather than the political opposition.

“The fight Nigerians elected you to lead is not against the opposition. It is against the terrorists, kidnappers and armed criminals who continue to kill innocent citizens and destabilise communities across the country,” the statement said.

The party noted that the President’s comments came only hours after the attack on Naridon village, which it said left at least 30 people dead, homes destroyed and many residents displaced.

Describing Tinubu as Nigeria’s “Statement Maker-in-Chief”, the ADC accused the administration of responding to security incidents with repeated condemnations and sympathy messages instead of decisive action.

It argued that while the President had become “a commentator” on insecurity, he had chosen to be “a combatant” against the opposition.

The party maintained that the President should reserve his pledge to “fight to the finish” for terrorists, bandits and kidnappers rather than opposition parties.

The ADC further argued that, after more than three years in office, the administration could not point to a security record that justified what it described as political bravado, insisting that elections should be won on the basis of performance rather than declarations of political toughness.

It added that the President’s real opponents were terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and the broader insecurity facing the country, saying those remained the challenges Nigerians expected him to defeat.

Relatedly, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party will not rely solely on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2027 general elections, insisting that it will take measures to protect its votes.

Abdullahi stated this yesterday in Ilorin while speaking with journalists during the party’s walk-to-rule campaign aimed at sensitising residents of the Kwara State capital to the ADC.

He said that although there were officials within INEC committed to conducting credible elections, the party would not base its electoral strategy on trust alone.

“With due respect, INEC still has people that are committed to doing the right thing, but we are not going to run our election based on trust,” he said.

“We know what they are capable of doing. We trusted them in 2023, and we saw what happened. We are not going to trust them with our votes this time around.”

Asked how the party intended to safeguard its votes, Abdullahi declined to provide details.

“We are not going to tell you, but that is what we are going to do if we must win this election,” he said.

Atiku says Tinubu should confront governance failures, not opposition

Similarly, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, described President Tinubu as “a drowning man” attempting to deflect attention from his administration’s performance with political rhetoric.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President said the President’s remarks reflected an attempt to divert attention from what he described as the administration’s failures.

He also faulted the President for making the comments in response to the CBCN’s appeal for credible, transparent and peaceful elections, saying the response demonstrated a lack of humility and decorum.

“Mr President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents,” Atiku said.

He argued that a president facing what he described as the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in recent memory should focus on tackling inflation, hunger, insecurity, naira instability, and declining public confidence rather than confronting political opponents.

According to Atiku, governments that fail to deliver often resort to political theatre to distract citizens from prevailing hardship.

“These are the words of a drowning man. A government that has little to celebrate inevitably seeks refuge in chest-thumping. But Nigerians are no longer interested in political performances. They are interested in government performance. Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira,” he said.

The ADC presidential candidate maintained that President Tinubu’s greatest challenge was not the opposition but his administration’s record.

“His greatest opponent is his own record. Every unpaid worker, every struggling business, every unemployed graduate, every victim of insecurity and every hungry family is a living testimony to the consequences of his administration’s choices. That is the contest he has consistently failed to win.

“Democracy is a marketplace of ideas and accountability. In 2027, Nigerians will not be stepping into a wrestling arena. They will be stepping into polling units to deliver a constitutional verdict,” he added.

Atiku urged the President to devote the remainder of his tenure to addressing the country’s economic and security challenges instead of, in his view, creating unnecessary political confrontations.

APM dismisses Tinubu’s economy, security claims as detached from reality.

Also, the Allied People’s Movement (APM) dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s assertion that Nigeria’s economy and security situation have improved under his administration, describing the claims as “illusory” and disconnected from the realities facing Nigerians.

The opposition party also challenged the President to leave the Presidential Villa, travel by road across the country and visit local markets if he believed the economy had genuinely recovered.

In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, the party argued that the President’s assessment of the nation’s economic and security conditions contradicted the daily hardships experienced by Nigerians and overlooked concerns repeatedly raised by citizens and religious leaders.

According to the APM, making such claims before Catholic bishops, whom it described as spiritual leaders with close contact with grassroots communities, disregarded the realities confronting ordinary Nigerians.

“It is unfortunate that instead of being candid about his failures and seeking help, President Tinubu is engaging in forum shopping to downplay and play cheap politics with the nation’s dire security and economic situation,” the statement said.

The party claimed data from independent institutions showed poverty had worsened under the current administration, alleging that the national poverty rate had risen above 63 per cent in 2026, with more than 140 million Nigerians living below the poverty line.

It also accused the Federal Government of increasing the country’s debt burden through external borrowing, claiming Nigeria’s external debt had risen to $51.86 billion and could increase further by 2027.

The APM linked the country’s economic challenges to the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the policy had driven increases in transport costs, food prices, school fees, healthcare expenses, electricity tariffs and house rents, placing essential goods and services beyond the reach of many Nigerians.

On security, the party maintained that terrorism, banditry and kidnapping remained widespread despite repeated assurances from the Federal Government, accusing the administration of failing to translate its promises into concrete improvements.

It also alleged that comments by some government officials and leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress had emboldened criminal elements by opposing calls for an international probe into terrorism-related activities.

The opposition party further urged President Tinubu to seek medical treatment in Nigeria to demonstrate confidence in the country’s healthcare system. It also challenged him to undertake road trips and visit local markets without official insulation if he wished to convince Nigerians that living conditions had improved.

The APM advised presidential aides to stop what it described as attempts to promote an inaccurate narrative of the administration’s performance, warning that such efforts would not improve the President’s electoral prospects ahead of the 2027 general election.

Taraba PDP candidate backs Tinubu on security as APC chairmen pledge grassroots mobilisation

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Taraba State, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, yesterday said his personal support for President Bola Tinubu is driven by what he described as the administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, even as the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum pledged a nationwide grassroots mobilisation campaign for the President’s re-election.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Guardian in Abuja yesterday, Bwacha said he had no difficulty backing Tinubu despite the PDP’s adoption of Senator Sandy Onor as its consensus presidential candidate for the January 18, 2027 election.

“Let me tell you my candid opinion. As an individual, I have no problem supporting Tinubu… Not that we don’t have a presidential candidate. We have, but the temper of the moment, the proclivity of the moment, defines a direction for us,” he said.

Bwacha argued that Tinubu’s efforts to address insecurity had influenced his decision, claiming the administration had demonstrated greater commitment by seeking international cooperation in the fight against insurgency. According to him, many voters in the North-East believe the President inherited a deeply entrenched security crisis that had worsened under previous administrations.

“And why I will continue to support Tinubu is because of his commitment to ensure that this matter is nipped in the bud. If Tinubu was not committed, he wouldn’t have invited the Americans to come and partner with the Nigerian Armed Forces,” he added.

The PDP governorship candidate also dismissed suggestions that the party is divided over its presidential candidate, insisting that Onor remains its recognised flagbearer. He, however, maintained that party members were not under any obligation to vote strictly along party lines in the presidential election.

Also yesterday, the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum pledged to spearhead a nationwide grassroots mobilisation campaign in support of Tinubu’s re-election, saying the APC’s electoral success would depend largely on the strength of its structures at the local government level.

The forum made the declaration during a courtesy visit to APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, Dr Mustapha Mohammed Jibrin, thanked the party leadership for receiving the forum and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the APC’s grassroots presence.

Jibrin said the forum comprises about 685 local government chairmen across the country with the backing of APC governors in 31 states. He described council chairmen as the elected officials closest to the people, saying they remain the party’s most effective grassroots mobilisation machinery.

“We understand the grassroots and possess first-hand intelligence about our communities. The success of the APC will be anchored on effective grassroots mobilisation, and that is why we have come to declare our support for President Tinubu and his administration,” he said.

Responding, Nentawe Yilwatda described local government chairmen as the party’s greatest political assets and indispensable partners in securing electoral victories.

“You are nearer to the people than anyone else. You understand your communities and know what the people need. You are the strongest pillars we have to win elections,” he said.

The APC national chairman assured the delegation that the party would work closely with the forum through the office of the National Secretary and facilitate collaboration with the Progressive Governors’ Forum. He also pledged to brief President Tinubu on the forum’s objectives and activities.

INEC assures Nigerians every vote will count in 2027

Relatedly, the Independent National Electoral Commission assured Nigerians that every vote will count in the 2027 general elections, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the country’s democratic process.

INEC Deputy Director of Voter Education and Planning, Mrs Magdalene Aku, gave the assurance yesterday in Abuja at a democracy roundtable organised by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Speaking on the theme, “Making Nigeria’s Vote Count in 2027: The Role of INEC,” Aku said ensuring that votes count was not merely a slogan but a commitment to making sure the choices of voters were reflected in election outcomes.

She described voters as the “ultimate kingmakers” in a constitutional democracy, stressing that the commission’s primary responsibility was to protect the will of the electorate rather than determine who wins or loses elections.

“For INEC, making your vote count is not just a slogan; it is the bedrock of our democracy, and we always try to ensure that we put in the right processes, the right tools to ensure that every individual’s vote counts.

“Our focus is on the Nigerian voters. We do not care about the person who wins or loses the election; it is on the Nigerian voter, and that’s why we’re always placing a premium on the voter to recognise the fact that you are the kingmaker,” she said.

Aku highlighted the commission’s adoption of technology to improve the credibility of elections and curb electoral fraud, citing the transition from Smart Card Readers to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), as well as the real-time upload of polling unit results through the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

She added that transparency begins at the polling unit, where results recorded on Form EC8A are displayed publicly before being transmitted electronically, enabling voters and other stakeholders to verify the poll’s outcome. (The Guardian)