July 19, (THEWILL) — The Presidency has urged Nigerians to ignore the recent allegation by the African Democratic Alliance (ADC) that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is “exploiting” the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari for political gain, describing the accusation as “utterly ridiculous” political noise designed to achieve relevance.
The ADC had described the recent tributes by the Federal Government on Buhari as “hypocritical, opportunistic and carefully stage-managed”.
In a statement issued on Friday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the Tinubu-led Federal Executive Council’s public mourning, including the presence of Buhari’s son, Yusuf, was part of a calculated public relations stunt designed to whitewash the government’s image, especially in the North.
“The choreographed Federal Executive Council tribute, complete with a publicised appearance by our late President’s grieving son, was not a demonstration of genuine respect. It was a calculated public relations stunt by an unpopular government, carefully stage-managed to distract Nigerians from the administration’s deepening failures and to rewrite history while the nation mourns. This is hypocritical and in bad taste”, said Abdullahi.
However, responding in a statement on Saturday, Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Public Communications, said the ADC’s accusation is not only dishonest but also an insult to millions of Nigerians who genuinely mourn the loss of former President Buhari.
It described ADC’s remarks as an opportunistic and desperate exercise for relevance.
“The latest outburst from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) regarding former President Buhari’s state burial is nothing but an opportunistic exercise in manufactured outrage — a laughable tantrum by a poorly amalgamated political contraption desperately clutching at straws for relevance it will never attain.
“This is not the first time the ADC — in its pitiful, stuttering attempts at reinvention — has embarrassed itself with hollow, attention-seeking criticisms and press releases. A party still grappling with an identity crisis presumes lecturing the President of the Federal Republic on governance, decorum, and public accountability. How utterly ridiculous.
“Since its emergence, the ADC has resorted to issuing disjointed press statements on every passing event to remind Nigerians it now exists. In its desperation to look like an opposition party, it has now crossed every known line of decency.
Their latest press release, alleging that President Tinubu’s government is “exploiting” the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari for political gain, is not only dishonest — it is an insult to millions of Nigerians who genuinely mourn the loss of a statesman, and who watched the State Burial accorded Buhari with solemn respect and dignity”, Dare said.
In a counter-accusation, the Presidency accused the ADC of exploiting Buhari’s death for political attention.
“Let it be said clearly: the ADC is the one exploiting Buhari’s death for political attention, not this government. They have chosen to dance on his grave for relevance. From Atiku and El Rufai’s choreographed arrival in Daura — greeted with chants seeking to make political capital from the solemnity of the moment — to this disgraceful press statement, the ADC has shown itself to be utterly shameless”, it added.
Refuting the claim by the ADC, Dare said, “President Tinubu’s administration is neither desperate nor searching for cheap popularity. This government would rather allow its growing list of achievements to speak louder than the noisy irrelevance of groups like the ADC.”
He added that the “burial of former President Buhari was conducted with the complete honour befitting a leader of his stature. That is why world leaders showed up, millions of Nigerians tuned in on television and across social media, and even ADC promoters were falling over themselves in Daura, prancing about the Buhari family compound like eager real estate agents scouting new territory.”
Dare further highlighted the achievements of the Tinubu administration.
These he said include “Naira stabilised, exchange rates harmonised, Oil production up to 1.7MBPD, FAAC allocations increased by over 60%, 31 states, once crippled by debt, are now paying salaries, pensions, and contractors, Naira decoupled from oil market volatility, regaining resilience, Electricity restored to long-neglected communities, Infrastructure delivered: Ogbia-Nembe Road, Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Road, and more, NELFUND: About 400,000 students benefit from the historic loan scheme, Regional Commissions were established to drive balanced development nationwide and the launched of a Consumer Credit Scheme — a first, laying the foundation for a credit-based economy and attacking corruption at its root.
“These are not press statements. These are results. Tangible, measurable, and ongoing. That is leadership”, he added.
Urging Nigerians to ignore what he described as a political noise from an outfit gasping for attention, Dare asked, “What does the ADC offer Nigerians beyond sanctimonious whining? Absolutely nothing. If the ADC spent merely half the time it uses on press releases to handle issues from its disenchanted members, the party wouldn’t grapple with many legal problems. This party is consumed by internal squabbles, facing multiple court cases over its very existence, and reduced to issuing these baseless attacks to cling to the fringes of relevance. Are these strange bedfellows, ones to be taken seriously? No.
“Let it be said without equivocation: Nigerians are not fooled. No press statement — however venomous — can erase the facts of progress. President Tinubu honoured Buhari with dignity in death and continues to honour his legacy through hard work, not hollow words.
“Governance continues, Nigeria is stable, and President Tinubu remains focused on delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda, not on dignifying the desperate antics of political scavengers.”
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