Political divisions are deepening over President Bola Tinubu?s economic reforms, with critics warning of democratic backsliding and rising grassroots opposition, while supporters defend the measures as necessary and seek to consolidate political strength ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) criticised the administration, accusing it of lacking clear direction and worsening the hardship faced by Nigerians.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, in an interview, said while the constitution provides for a possible second term in office, it is conditional on whether the people are satisfied with the government?s performance.

?The real question is: what direction is this government taking Nigerians?? Abdullahi asked. He faulted the administration?s early decision to remove fuel subsidy without introducing mitigating measures, noting that it plunged citizens into economic difficulty. He added that the subsequent devaluation of the naira had further eroded purchasing power.

?Someone earning N35,000 can no longer afford what they previously could. Even with a minimum wage of N70,000, most Nigerians remain below the extreme poverty line,? he said.

Abdullahi also criticised new tax measures, including a five per cent levy on petrol set to take effect in January and another five per cent aviation tax. He argued that both policies would burden small businesses and middle-class Nigerians, as costs would inevitably be passed on to consumers.

He described the government?s approach as ?punitive,? questioning what Nigerians had voted for. ?Regardless of the technical correctness of policies, if they break citizens? backs, leaders must say no. Instead, they double down, saying it is the ?tough medicine? we must swallow. But where is it taking us?? he asked.

Abdullahi stressed that it was not a matter of whether four years was enough, but rather about the uncertainty over the government?s direction. ?The constitution allows four years, not an automatic eight. Leaders can do four, step aside, evaluate themselves, and maybe return later,? he said.

This came as former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, compared Nigeria?s current political trajectory under President Tinubu to that of Cameroon under long-serving leader Paul Biya, warning that Tinubu could seek to extend his stay in power beyond constitutional limits.

El-Rufai made the remarks at the weekend during a solidarity visit from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, following an incident in which APC-aligned supporters allegedly attacked him at the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State.

Condemning what he described as the centralisation of power under Tinubu, El-Rufai said: ?It?s a disgrace for people to behave the way they are behaving, it means all the years we were for democracy and NADECO was all fake, a pretense, all the claims we are fighting for, true federalism is all fake.?

He warned that the current administration?s consolidation of authority could set the stage for an extended rule. ?This government is trying to centralise everything instead of devolving powers to the lower levels? if we don?t come together to end this Tinubu administration in 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya, he would be president for life, all the signs are there, this is how Paul Biya started,? he said.

The former governor urged Atiku to use his political experience to guide Nigerians. He recalled that during Atiku?s tenure as vice president, no one was imprisoned for holding opposing political views.

?This is worse than any military regime we?ve ever had. Your call that we must unite is a healthy one. I think the people of Nigeria have made up their mind that this government, APC, must go,? El-Rufai added.

Gbenga Hashim movement vows to challenge Tinubu?s dominance in S?West

Also, the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) yesterday declared its readiness to mount a serious challenge against President Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election, particularly in Lagos and Osun states.

The movement, loyal to former presidential aspirant Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, said its activities were already generating ?political tremors? across the South-West, with the aim of breaking the APC?s dominance in the region.

At a rally in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, which drew leaders from the 31 local councils, party officials, community leaders and youths, the group presented Olawepo-Hashim as the alternative to lead a ?rescue mission? for Nigeria.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Kamaldeen Adebayo, Olawepo-Hashim described the Tinubu administration as ?heartless,? insisting it had inflicted untold hardship on citizens.

He said: ?Olawepo-Hashim?s mission is to restore dignity, justice and accountability to governance. Nigeria?s democracy cannot breathe under corruption and mediocrity. It is time to take back our country.?

The National Coordinator of GHSM, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, likened Olawepo-Hashim to ?a Moses for Nigeria?s troubled times,? adding: ?Nigerians have been pushed to the wall. Hunger has become a national policy, insecurity a daily horror, and hopelessness a state religion. Gbenga Hashim is ready to lead the crusade out of this wilderness. He is free from corruption, full of ideas, tested in global best practices, and bold enough to confront APC?s state capture.?

Also, the South-West Coordinator, Abass Olaniyi, criticised the Tinubu government for failing to deliver on its promises. He said: ?This administration has reduced governance to the service of a few privileged interests, while the people wallow in poverty. From Osun, this movement will spread like wildfire across the South-West. The people are hungry for integrity, principle and vision, and Gbenga Hashim is the answer.?

The movement, which claimed it is already gaining ground in Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti and Ondo, welcomed the Peoples Democratic Party?s (PDP) decision to throw open its 2027 presidential ticket, arguing that it had given Olawepo-Hashim a clear pathway to contest.

Osun State Coordinator of GHSM, Tajudeen Hassan, urged ward and local government structures to mobilise aggressively. He said: ?Take the message of Gbenga Hashim to every street, household and community in Osun. Nobody must be left behind. This is the people?s movement, and 2027 is our date with destiny.?

Political observers, however, cautioned that sustaining momentum will be crucial, noting that the South West has long remained the APC?s stronghold. Yet with inflation eroding household income, unemployment rising, and insecurity spreading, the Osun launch is being viewed in some quarters as the first organised attempt to weaken Tinubu?s grip on the region.

One of the speakers at the rally captured the mood of the gathering: ?The downfall of Tinubu?s government begins in the South-West. Osun has fired the first shot, and nothing can stop the storm that is coming.?

Daniel says Ogun?s support for Tinubu is sacrosanct

However, former governor of Ogun State and senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, declared that the state?s support for President Tinubu remains unshakable.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Otunba Gbenga Daniel (BATOGD) Movement and the commissioning of the Re?ewed Hope International Market in Igode, Ogijo, Sagamu, Daniel described Tinubu as the first leader to provide ?conscious leadership? through rethinking the nation, redirecting the economy and reengineering national engagements.

Acknowledging the poor state of access roads to the venue, Daniel said about N20 million had been spent in the last two weeks to make the route passable. He added that the project had put Igode and the surrounding villages on Ogun State?s development map.

The senator explained that the BATOGD Movement was designed as a grassroots mobilisation group, stressing that the President should be supported to complete a second term in 2027 ?as a matter of equity and justice? for the South West.

He commended Tinubu?s administration for boldly confronting subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms and other controversial economic issues. According to him, these actions had reduced volatility in the currency market and closed the gap between official and parallel exchange rates.

Daniel also linked the Federal Government?s initiatives to the objectives of his Gateway Front Foundation (GFF), which he said had supported hundreds of Ogun indigenes, including through the establishment of eight tertiary institutions during his tenure as governor. He reiterated his support for the creation of Ijebu State, saying the idea would only materialise if its proponents were returned to office.

APC founding member says Kwankwaso?s return would secure Tinubu?s victory

Similarly, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress, Sam Nkire, said that the return of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to the APC would secure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?s re-election in 2027.

In a statement yesterday, Nkire urged President Tinubu to do everything possible to bring Kwankwaso back into the ruling party, stressing that his inclusion would ?nail the coffin? of the opposition in the next presidential contest.

Nkire, who backed Kwankwaso in the APC presidential primaries of 2014 against Muhammadu Buhari, noted that Tinubu should not have difficulty reaching an agreement with the former Kano State governor, given their long-standing friendship and the circumstances surrounding Kwankwaso?s exit from the APC.

He recalled several visits he and Kwankwaso paid to Tinubu in 2014, when the latter was APC National Leader, seeking his support against Buhari. According to him, Tinubu?s response at the time was consistent: ?I?m sorry, I have given my word to General Buhari.?

On Kwankwaso?s possible conditions for rejoining or merging with the APC, Nkire expressed confidence in Tinubu?s negotiating skills. He maintained that any successful deal would reaffirm his belief that Nigeria?s next president would emerge from ?a merger, a coalition or a collaboration.?

Tinubu visits Kaduna despite ?no-go area? claims, says Presidency

Meanwhile, the Presidency has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?s visit to Kaduna State at the weekend demonstrated his resolve to challenge perceptions that the state was hostile to him and the All Progressives Congress.

Tinubu?s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the President travelled to Kaduna despite opposition narratives that the North ?hated? him and would not support his re-election bid in 2027.

During the one-day working trip, Tinubu attended a wedding ceremony and paid a condolence visit to Aisha Buhari, the widow of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Dare, in a lengthy post on X, underscored the political symbolism of the visit, describing Kaduna as the spiritual base of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the political launch pad of Buhari. He also recalled the city?s history as a hub of northern political influence.

?This is the city that birthed the famed Kaduna Mafia, a loose but powerful network of northern technocrats, politicians, military brass, and businessmen who quietly shaped policy and leadership recruitment in Nigeria, while also defending northern interests across decades,? Dare wrote. He noted that Kaduna has long been central to political recalibration in Nigeria, whether under military rule or democracy.

?It was into this charged political environment, months after opponents had fanned narratives of hostility to him, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu chose to walk boldly. Whispers of ?a no-go area? hung in the air? But the President, true to his character, came unafraid, carrying with him the fruits of loyalty to old friendships and the evidence of sound policies beginning to touch lives,? Dare added. (The Guardian)

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