The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has urged Nigerians to reject the African Democratic Congress and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2027 general election over alleged failure to pay party staff salaries for more than 12 months.
The ADC, however, accused the APC of using the allegation to divert attention from the economic hardship and insecurity facing Nigerians under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
APC campaign council, in a statement by its spokesperson and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, on Monday, accused the ADC National Working Committee, led by David Mark as chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as secretary, of neglecting the welfare of party workers despite their daily service to the party.
The council also criticised Atiku and Aregbesola over their records on workers’ welfare, alleging that Atiku’s businesses had previously owed employees salaries, while Aregbesola’s administration as Osun State governor introduced partial salary payments and left pensioners unpaid for years.
APC PCC stated, “It has come to our attention that the National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress, led by Senator David Mark as Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as Secretary, has refused and neglected to pay party staff for over a year.
“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.
“With this development, Nigerians can now see the emptiness and insincerity of those parading themselves as ‘new saviours’.
“We have clearly stated that ADC leaders and their presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, do not mean well and can do nothing for our country.
“Their desperation for power is driven by personal aggrandisement and venomous ill will against President Bola Tinubu. A party that cannot pay its cleaners and workforce cannot be entrusted with our country’s affairs.”
The council accused Atiku of owing his employees, alleging that staff of his Gotel Communication and other businesses went months without salaries and staged protests over unpaid wages and benefits.
“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 record of the ADC General Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, on paying workers’ salaries and pensioners in Osun State, where he was a governor for eight 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.
“We are, therefore, not surprised that ADC, harbouring birds of the same feather, cannot pay its workers’ salaries.”
The party asked Nigerians to reject the ADC in the 2027 general elections.
“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.”
Reacting, the ADC, in a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the allegation as falsehood and challenged the APC Presidential Campaign Council to produce evidence to support its claim.
Abdullahi described the allegation as an attempt to distract public attention from the performance of the Tinubu administration, arguing that the ruling party should defend its record rather than focus on accusations against the opposition.
“The ADC categorically rejects this allegation as an irresponsible falsehood, deliberately concocted to mislead Nigerians and distract attention from the monumental failures of the Tinubu administration.
“If the APC has any credible evidence to support its claims, it should produce it rather than continue to insult Nigerians with fabricated stories masquerading as press statements,” the statement read.
The ADC said the country’s cost-of-living crisis, unemployment and insecurity should take centre stage in the political debate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the party, Nigerians are more concerned about the rising cost of essential goods, limited employment opportunities for young people and threats to lives and livelihoods than allegations surrounding the internal affairs of opposition parties.
“The real issue is the cost of living. The real issue is the absence of jobs and opportunities for our young people. The real issue is the insecurity that continues to threaten lives, livelihoods, and communities across the country,” Abdullahi added.
He accused the APC of preparing for the 2027 elections by focusing on allegations against opposition parties rather than presenting its achievements to voters.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that the APC has decided to run its 2027 campaign on allegations against the opposition rather than achievements of its own.
“That is what happens when a government has spent years making promises it cannot keep and excuses it cannot defend,” he said
The ADC also aimed at the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and other APC figures involved in defending the administration, urging them to explain why Nigerians should give the ruling party another term after three years of economic hardship and uncertainty.
Although the statement did not provide details of the alleged salary dispute or identify the workers said to be affected, the ADC insisted that the APC should substantiate its claim rather than rely on public accusations.
The exchange comes as political parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, with economic conditions, security and the performance of the Tinubu administration expected to feature prominently in campaign debates.
The ADC said it would not be drawn into what it described as distractions, insisting that its campaign would focus on issues affecting ordinary Nigerians.
“The APC may control the machinery of government, but it cannot control the lived experiences of Nigerians.
“If the APC has a record to defend, let it defend it. If it has solutions, let it present them. But it should stop insulting the intelligence of Nigerians with these increasingly desperate distractions,” the publicity scribe added.