The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned what it describes as a cynical and opportunistic attempt by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to exploit the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari for political advantage.
In a statement signed by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC criticised the Federal Executive Council’s tribute to Buhari and the publicised appearance of his son, Yusuf Buhari, as a “stage-managed public relations stunt” by a government struggling with credibility.
The party accused the Tinubu-led administration of attempting to whitewash its image, particularly in Northern Nigeria, by invoking the legacy of the same former president it spent the past year blaming for the nation’s woes.
“Grief is not a campaign strategy,” the statement declared. “You cannot spend months discrediting a man’s legacy only to turn around and perform grief for the cameras.”
The ADC pointed to the Tinubu government’s earlier efforts to distance itself from Buhari’s policies, particularly on the economy, fuel subsidy, and governance, noting that the administration has consistently blamed Buhari for Nigeria’s current economic challenges.
“The message was clear: Buhari was the problem, Tinubu was the solution. But now that it suits their political agenda, they seek to recast themselves as defenders of the late President’s legacy,” the ADC said.
The party took issue with Yusuf Buhari’s presence at the FEC meeting, arguing that the grieving son of the late president should not have been dragged into a political show.
“It is troubling that the young man, a private citizen and bereaved son, was pulled into the political theatre of a Federal Executive Council meeting just days after burying his father,” the statement read. “Nigerians must ask, what kind of government uses the private pain of a mourning family to varnish its own public image?”
The ADC claimed it had earlier warned the late president’s family about plans by the government to politicise his death, describing recent developments as part of a larger strategy to manipulate public sentiment.
The party concluded by expressing confidence that Nigerians would see through what it called the government’s “grand deceit,” asserting that no public relations campaign could redeem an administration that has governed, in its words, “like an army of occupation.”
The Presidency is yet to respond to the allegations.
