The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has slammed the Tinubu-led administration for what it called a “cynical and opportunistic” attempt to use the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari as a public relations tool.
In a strongly worded statement on Friday, ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the federal government of orchestrating a “stage-managed tribute” during this week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which included the widely publicized appearance of Buhari’s son, Yusuf.
“This was not a demonstration of genuine respect,” Abdullahi said. “It was a calculated public relations stunt by an unpopular government, carefully choreographed to distract Nigerians from its deepening failures and to rewrite history while the nation mourns.”
He questioned the presence of Yusuf Buhari at the meeting, saying the grieving son had been dragged into political theatre “just days after burying his father.” Abdullahi described it as “hypocritical and in bad taste.”
“You cannot spend months discrediting a man’s legacy only to turn around and perform grief for the cameras,” he said.
The party recalled that since assuming office, President Tinubu and his aides had repeatedly blamed Buhari for the country’s economic woes, particularly over the removal of fuel subsidies, monetary policies, and fiscal management.
“They accused him of fiscal recklessness and claimed to have inherited a broken economy—not from the opposition, but from their own party’s former leader,” the ADC noted.
“Now that it suits their political agenda, they seek to recast themselves as defenders of the late President’s legacy, pretending to give him in death the honour they denied him while he was alive,” Abdullahi added.
Earlier in the week, the ADC had warned against the politicisation of Buhari’s passing, alleging that the presidency was planning to milk the situation for political sympathy, especially in the North where Buhari retained significant grassroots support.
“What we witnessed at the Federal Executive Council this week is only the beginning of a larger plan,” Abdullahi said. “The exploitation of a mourning son compelled to perform gratitude in front of the cameras is unconscionable and must be condemned by all decent people.”
Despite the government’s efforts, the ADC believes Nigerians are not fooled. “No public relations stunt can save a government that has behaved in the last two years like an army of occupation,” the party said.
The presidency is yet to officially respond to the ADC’s claims.
