June 12: ADC Claims Democracy Failing to Meet Nigerians' Expectations

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ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi

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By Luminous Jannamike

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The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Thursday said Nigeria’s democracy was failing to deliver security, economic relief and accountable governance, arguing that many Nigerians were worse off despite 27 years of uninterrupted civilian rule and three years into the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

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In an open letter to Nigerians marking Democracy Day, the opposition party said citizens were increasingly burdened by insecurity, rising living costs and declining trust in public institutions, raising questions about whether democratic governance was meeting its most basic obligations.

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The letter, signed by ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, said Democracy Day should be more than a commemoration of the June 12 struggle and should also serve as a moment to assess whether democracy had improved the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

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“Democracy is not measured by the number of years since military rule ended. It must be measured by the meaning it has brought to citizenship and the freedoms it has brought to citizens: freedom from fear, freedom from poverty, freedom to participate and freedom to choose,” the party said.

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According to the ADC, insecurity remains the clearest sign that democracy is falling short of citizens’ expectations.

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“In many parts of Nigeria, life has assumed a Hobbesian reality: nasty, brutish and short. Every day, Nigerians are killed in their dozens and kidnapped in their hundreds. Bandits and other criminal elements openly negotiate ransoms and dictate the terms of coexistence,” the ADC said.

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The party argued that the state’s inability to guarantee security had forced residents to abandon communities and disrupted education in affected areas.

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“The most important responsibility of any government is the protection of its citizens. But is there anyone today who truly believes that this government can protect them? This is why entire villages are being deserted. This is why schools are hurriedly shut and children withdrawn, even in the middle of examinations,” it said.

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Summing up its assessment, the ADC declared that “government is getting weaker; criminals are getting stronger”.

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Beyond insecurity, the party said households were struggling under a prolonged cost-of-living crisis as the prices of food, transportation, housing, healthcare and education continued to rise, while many young people were increasingly looking abroad for opportunities.

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It also warned of declining public confidence in democratic institutions.

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“These are not opposition talking points. They are the concerns of a nation demanding not excuses, but answers; not propaganda, but performance; not promises, but progress,” it said.

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Rejecting suggestions that Nigeria’s challenges were unavoidable, the ADC blamed what it described as policy failures, weak institutions and a lack of accountability on the part of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

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“The afflictions confronting our people are direct manifestations of the failures represented by the ruling party, the APC. Insecurity reflects incompetence and indifference. Growing poverty reflects economic policies that celebrate statistics while remaining indifferent to human suffering,” it said.

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The party also accused the government of lacking effective solutions to insecurity and economic hardship.

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“This APC government has no solution to insecurity. All it offers are condolence messages and empty threats to bandits and criminals. It has no solution to the cost-of-living crisis that is steadily eroding the dignity of millions,” the party said.

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While sharply critical of the government, the ADC used the Democracy Day message to outline what it described as an alternative approach centred on intelligence-led security, economic reforms aimed at lowering living costs, food security and stronger accountability in public institutions.

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“The measure of success is not the size of a budget. The measure of success is whether a farmer can return safely to the farm; whether a trader can travel without fear; whether parents can send their children to school without anxiety; and whether citizens can live, work, worship and pursue opportunity in peace.

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“The promise of democracy is not merely freedom. It is also the opportunity to build a better life. Today, for too many Nigerians, that promise remains unfulfilled,” it said.

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