By Achile Danjuma
The opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has launched a blistering attack on the administration of President Bola Tinubu, declaring it the most incompetent government in Nigeria’s history. In a statement released on Thursday, the party cited a litany of failures, from a chaotic budget implementation process to a series of embarrassing policy and appointment flip-flops.
The statement, signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accuses the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of being dangerously distracted by political maneuvering at the expense of effective governance.
The ADC’s primary evidence centers on what it describes as “fiscal confusion,” pointing to the unprecedented situation of the government operating three national budgets concurrently while failing to implement them effectively. According to the party, the 2024 budget was rolled over into 2025, yet by the third quarter of 2025, only 17.7% of the capital budget had been released. Overall budget implementation, the ADC claims, languished at under 30%.
The party further criticized the administration’s handling of the 2025 budget, noting that 30% of it is scheduled to run until late 2026, with the remaining 70% set to be rolled over into the yet-to-be-passed 2026 budget. This situation, the ADC argues, directly contradicts President Tinubu’s recent pledge that all capital projects from the 2024 and 2025 budgets would be concluded by March 31, 2026—a deadline the party deems impossible.
“This is the first time in Nigerian history that any government would be running three budgets at the same time while implementing none,” Abdullahi’s statement read. It dismissed the government’s explanation that the delays are a “deliberate strategy” and a “transition cost” as a “blatant falsehood.”
To underscore its point about misplaced priorities, the ADC highlighted stark disparities in capital budget releases. It reported that implementation in critical ministries such as Power (3.6%), Communications Technology (8.9%), Education (23.5%), and Health (32.5%) remains abysmally low. In contrast, the Ministry of Defence has reportedly outperformed its budget at 113.45%, largely due to emergency funding.
The party questioned the efficacy of this increased defence spending, pointing to a surge in insecurity. It cited reports suggesting that up to 500 Nigerians may have been killed by terrorist groups in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Kebbi states during the current month of Ramadan alone.
“Certainly, no serious government would leave these sectors, which are crucial to national human capital development, largely unfunded while select government officials continue to live in obscene opulence in the midst of unprecedented poverty and human misery,” the statement added.
The ADC also took aim at what it called the government’s “obsession” with politics, pointing to at least seven appointments and several policy decisions that were announced and subsequently reversed following public outcry. It cited the government’s focus on its recent victory in the FCT election and its monitoring of the ADC’s online membership registration as evidence of its distraction.
“The Tinubu government has proven that to them everything is about politics and power for its own sake,” the statement continued. “This is why Nigerians are being slaughtered at an industrial scale across the country while the government feasts.”
The party concluded by questioning the use of the government’s claimed historic revenues, increased taxes, and aggressive borrowing, asking why Nigerians are suffering more now than three years ago despite the influx of funds. It pointed to Nigeria’s unenviable status as the country with the highest number of people living in extreme poverty as the ultimate indictment of the administration’s performance.