The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has called on Nigerians to reject the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2027 general elections over allegations that the opposition party has failed to pay its staff salaries for more than one year.
The council, in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, alleged that the ADC’s National Working Committee, led by Senator David Mark as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, had neglected the welfare of party workers by leaving their salaries unpaid for over 12 months.
According to the APC campaign council, “We find it unconscionable that a political party that has made many grandiose promises to hoodwink Nigerians owes its workers for more than 12 months. Owing staff who come to work every day and who rely on the salaries for their daily sustenance is wicked and reprehensible.”
The council said the alleged development raises questions about the opposition party’s readiness to govern Nigeria, arguing that any political party unable to manage its internal affairs should not be entrusted with the leadership of the country.
It added, “With this development, Nigerians can now see the emptiness and insincerity of those parading themselves as ‘new saviours’.”
The APC also accused Atiku Abubakar of having a history of failing to pay workers in his private businesses.
The statement claimed, “Atiku Abubakar, the ADC’s leader and Presidential candidate, has a reputation for owing his employees. While he regularly junkets to the UAE, staff at his Gotel Communication and other businesses also went months without pay and staged protests over unpaid salaries and other benefits.”
The ruling party further criticised ADC National Secretary and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, over his handling of workers’ welfare during his time in office.
According to the statement, “The record of the ADC General Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, on paying workers’ salaries and pensioners in Osun State, where he was a governor for 8 years, was abysmal. As governor, he mismanaged the state’s finances to the point that he could not pay workers. His government thus introduced quarter-salary and, at times, half-salary payments. As for pensioners, he abandoned them for more than four years. Many died because they could not afford the basics of life.”
The APC said it was therefore not surprised by what it described as the ADC’s inability to pay its workers, insisting that the party lacked the capacity to manage the nation’s affairs.
The campaign council urged Nigerians to reject the ADC and its candidates during the next general elections.
It stated, “We are sounding a warning to Nigerians and working people now: reject ADC. Reject Atiku Abubakar and reject all ADC candidates in the next general elections. They do not have the interest of our country and our people at heart. A party that aspires to govern Nigeria and which cannot be trusted with something as basic as the management of its own affairs and the welfare of its workforce should be rejected by Nigerians.”
The APC and the ADC are expected to be among the major political parties contesting the 2027 presidential election, with campaigns between the ruling party and the opposition already gathering momentum. The ADC has yet to respond to the allegations contained in the APC statement.
