We Will Not Close Shop Because You Are Struggling – Presidency Knocks ADC.

 

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, has dismissed allegations that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) plans on making itself the only viable party in the 2027 election.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, he asserted that there are 21 parties registered on the ballot and they all have the right to a fair competition.

Dare, however, warned the opposition not to expect the APC to go soft because other parties are struggling.

He said, “There is no design, whether covertly or overtly, to have just the APC on the ballot. We have 21 parties registered to compete on the ballot; every party has the right to field a candidate. Now the APC will not roll out the carpet and close shop because other parties are struggling.”

 Dare’s rebuttal comes a day after the spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the APC of instigating crises within opposition parties to avoid being challenged in the 2027 elections.

However, the presidential aide dismissed claims that the APC is shrinking democratic space. He noted that the ADC’s ability to approach the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with a protest freely is evidence of political freedom in the country.

The presidential aide stressed that the APC and President Tinubu are not afraid of the opposition, noting that the president has focused on national governance while the party manages political matters.

“What you are seeing here is self-inflicted. You decide to come in through the back door, you decide to ignore the fact that there are petitions and court cases.

“You decide to think that because you are in the opposition and you can shout very loud… what has happened to the ADC in the last several months is a locus classicus of how not to run an opposition, how not to hijack a political party, and how not to run a party,” he said.