An African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of worsening Nigeria’s economic and security challenges, urging voters to reject the ruling government in the next general election.

Eze made the call while reacting to Tinubu’s Independence Day address on October 1, 2026, arguing that the government had failed to provide sufficient relief for Nigerians facing high food prices, declining purchasing power and persistent insecurity.

In a statement dated October 7, Eze described the president’s address as a “hoax, full of lame excuses, and a celebration of economic woes”.

His remarks focused on the cost of living, government borrowing, insecurity and what he called the administration’s failure to translate economic projections into tangible improvements in people’s lives.

Cost of living remains central to criticism

Eze said rising prices of food, transport, housing and other essential goods had placed additional pressure on households, particularly low-income earners.

He argued that inflation and declining purchasing power had pushed more Nigerians into poverty, while food insecurity and malnutrition remained serious concerns.

According to him, the administration’s economic policies have not delivered the improvements Nigerians expected.

“It is sad and unfortunate that the little things we as a country would have loved to celebrate, have been demystified by the government of Tinubu, thereby submerging Nigeria in the murky waters of economic woes and bad governance,” Eze said.

The ADC chieftain also criticised the government’s borrowing, arguing that increased foreign loans could leave future generations with a substantial repayment burden.

However, his statement did not provide figures to substantiate the scale of borrowing he cited or offer a detailed assessment of the administration’s economic performance.

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Eze raises concerns over insecurity

Beyond economic hardship, Eze accused the Tinubu administration of failing to adequately address banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal violence across the country.

He alleged that insecurity had disrupted farming and exposed residents, religious worshippers and National Youth Service Corps members to danger.

“Banditry, kidnapping, terrorism/insurgency and communal violence have continued to place this country and its citizens on edge,” he said.

He also questioned the administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, arguing that the president’s Independence Day speech devoted insufficient attention to the problem.

The statement did not include responses from the presidency or security agencies to the allegations.

Electricity, healthcare and unemployment also criticised

Eze listed unreliable electricity, inadequate infrastructure, weaknesses in the healthcare system, unemployment, corruption and weak public institutions among the challenges he believes the government has failed to resolve.

He said the combination of economic and security pressures had deepened public frustration, insisting that Nigeria’s difficulties had worsened since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.

Eze also criticised the president’s political ambitions, alleging that Tinubu had prioritised remaining in power rather than providing Nigerians with a clear direction for the country.

These claims represent the ADC chieftain’s political assessment and were not independently established by the statement.

Call for voters to reject Tinubu

Eze concluded by urging Nigerians to vote Tinubu and his political allies out of office at the next general election.

His intervention adds to the political debate over the federal government’s handling of economic reforms, public safety and the cost-of-living crisis.

The statement, however, did not outline specific policy alternatives that the ADC would implement to address the issues raised.

As the debate over the administration’s record continues, assessing its performance requires examining verifiable economic indicators, security data, public-service outcomes and the government’s own explanations of its policies.

NigeriaUpdates contacted no government representative for a response for this report. The presidency’s response was not included in the statement supplied by Eze.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has assembled a 228-member Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 elections, bringing together serving and former political office holders, party elders, professionals, women, youths and grassroots actors.

Rather than a small campaign committee, the structure cuts across several layers of the party’s political establishment, with Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa named chairman and former deputy governor Victor Adekanye Olabimtan appointed Director-General.

The council is expected to coordinate the APC’s mobilisation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid as well as the party’s candidates for other elective positions in Ondo State.

The party’s State Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, announced the composition in an electronically signed statement.

A broad political structure

The six vice-chairmen include Deputy Governor Olaide Adelami, Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly Olamide Oladiji, APC State Chairman Babatunde, Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of Interior Bunmi Tunji-Ojo and Ayodele Olawamide.

Former Governor Olusegun Mimiko is also listed among the members, alongside senators, former lawmakers, former government officials, legal practitioners, academics and other political stakeholders.

The council includes Senator Jide Ipinsagba, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, Senator Dayo Faduyile, former Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi, former Speaker Bamidele Oleyelogun and several other prominent figures.

Dr Sylvester Olumuyiwa Adu was named Deputy Director-General.

Chief Pius Akinyelure, chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Council, is also a member, while Senator Nimbe Farukanmi is listed as chairman of the APC Elders Forum.

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Why the size matters

The unusually broad membership gives the council a potentially important role beyond coordinating campaign activities.

Its composition allows the APC to connect its senior political leadership with grassroots structures, professional groups and younger party members across Ondo State’s 18 local government areas.

The development also comes after recent calls within the Ondo APC for greater unity ahead of the 2027 elections.

In August, Aiyedatiwa said the party needed to operate as one political structure and called for mobilisation across the state’s 18 local government areas, 203 wards and 3,933 polling units.

The new council therefore places considerable emphasis on bringing different sections of the party into a single campaign framework.

Unity will be a key test

While the APC says the council is designed to strengthen its political machinery, its effectiveness will ultimately depend on how well the various interests represented in the large structure work together.

The inclusion of current and former office holders, party elders and figures from different political backgrounds gives the council a wide pool of experience.

But a large membership also means that coordination, clear responsibilities and communication will be important as the election approaches.

The party has said the council will promote the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration and mobilise support for APC candidates.

What happens next

The immediate task for the council will be to translate the broad political representation into an organised campaign structure across the state.

That is likely to involve grassroots mobilisation, voter engagement, coordination of party stakeholders and communication of the APC’s campaign message ahead of the 2027 polls.

For the APC, the 228-member structure represents an attempt to consolidate its political base early. The bigger question will be whether the broad coalition can maintain cohesion and convert its organisational reach into electoral support.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to scrutinise the membership register and nomination records used by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to select its candidates for the 2027 elections in Rivers State.

Eze’s call follows a recent Supreme Court judgment restoring key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and the nomination of candidates.

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment delivered on September 24, restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2), which had earlier been invalidated by the Court of Appeal. The provisions concern, among other matters, the submission and use of party membership registers in primaries and other party elections.

Eze said the ruling makes documentary compliance, rather than political claims, central to questions surrounding candidate nominations.

Eze asks APC to produce records

In a statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt, Eze challenged the APC to demonstrate that its Rivers governorship candidate, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, met all applicable statutory requirements when he emerged from the party’s primary.

Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, emerged as the APC’s Rivers governorship candidate on May 21, 2026, after contesting the primary as the sole aspirant.

Reports on the controversy state that he registered as an APC member on April 27, 2026, 24 days before the primary. The Rivers APC has argued that this satisfies the 21-day requirement it says applies under the Electoral Act.

But Eze said the date of registration alone does not settle the issue.

“The APC cannot substitute political assertions for documentary evidence.”

He said the key question was whether Chinda’s name appeared in the verified APC membership register validly submitted to INEC within the period prescribed by law, as well as whether other statutory requirements governing the nomination were met.

“If the party insists that its Rivers candidates are validly nominated, let it place before INEC and, where necessary, the courts, the very documents upon which the legality of those nominations rests.”

What the Supreme Court ruling changes

The Supreme Court ruling has renewed attention on the role of party membership registers in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Sections 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act address the register of party members submitted to INEC and its use during party primaries, while Section 77(7) provides consequences for non-compliance. Section 84(2) concerns methods through which political parties select candidates.

The ruling itself did not determine that Chinda or any other specific Rivers candidate is disqualified.

Indeed, the Rivers APC has rejected suggestions that the judgment automatically invalidates Chinda’s candidacy, arguing that his registration came 24 days before the party primary.

That distinction is important because the current controversy concerns whether the party and its candidate complied with the requirements, rather than an established judicial finding that they did not.

Eze: Constitution also requires party membership, sponsorship

Eze also cited Section 177(c) of the Nigerian Constitution, which provides that a person seeking election as governor must be a member of a political party and be sponsored by that party.

The Supreme Court has previously held that party membership and sponsorship are relevant to qualification for governorship elections, with party records capable of being used to establish membership where such questions arise.

Eze therefore argued that the legality of a candidacy should be examined from the point at which the candidate enters the party nomination process, rather than only after the general election.

“The sanctity of the ballot begins with the legality of the process through which candidates emerge.”

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Political dispute should not replace legal scrutiny

Eze also linked the controversy to the long-running political rivalry in Rivers State, involving different political camps and influential figures.

He referenced the political difficulties previously faced by the APC in Rivers State and criticised what he described as the use of political and institutional mechanisms to frustrate opponents.

However, he said such grievances should not determine the handling of the current dispute.

“I do not subscribe to the idea that justice should be administered according to the principle of vengeance. But I firmly believe in the law of consequences.”

He said political parties should be prepared to have their nomination processes tested against the same legal standards, regardless of their political strength.

Eze rejects ethnic interpretation of Rivers contest

The ADC chieftain also cautioned against framing the 2027 Rivers governorship contest primarily around ethnicity, senatorial districts or the political ambitions of individual leaders.

He argued that residents from the Ijaw, Ikwerre, Ogoni, Kalabari, Etche, Okrika, Opobo-Nkoro, Bonny, Andoni, Eleme and other communities should have equal constitutional rights to participate in the political process if they meet the legal requirements.

“Rivers State is not the private estate of Wike, Chinda or anybody else. It belongs to all Rivers people.”

Eze said political competition should instead be based on legality, competence, legitimacy and the choice of voters.

What INEC may now face

Eze called on INEC to publish and scrutinise the relevant APC membership and nomination records and take whatever steps are required by law.

His demand comes amid wider questions about how the restored provisions of the Electoral Act will apply to party primaries that have already taken place.

Legal commentary following the Supreme Court ruling has noted that questions remain about the practical application of the restored provisions to nominations and primaries already concluded.

For now, the central issue is therefore one of verification: whether the relevant party records demonstrate compliance with the law.

Eze said the 2027 electoral process should not be allowed to become another contest in which political influence takes precedence over statutory requirements.

“Nobody is bigger than the law. Not APC. Not PDP. Not Wike. Not Amaechi. Not Chinda. Not Tinubu. Not even INEC.”

He said Rivers State deserved an election in which constitutional and electoral rules are respected and voters ultimately determine who governs the state.