The battle for Nigeria’s presidency has erupted into a fierce war over workers’ welfare, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) launching a blistering attack on the African Democratic Congress (ADC), declaring that a party allegedly unable to pay its own workers cannot be trusted to manage Nigeria.
In a politically explosive salvo that puts former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on the spot, the APC Presidential Campaign Council accused the opposition party of owing its employees more than 12 months’ salaries, branding its leadership unfit to be entrusted with the nation’s affairs.
But the ADC fired back, describing the allegation as an “irresponsible falsehood” and accusing President Bola Tinubu’s party of manufacturing propaganda to divert attention from economic hardship, unemployment and insecurity.
The war of words, which erupted on Monday, has turned the management of party finances and the welfare of workers into a major political battleground ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued by the APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Dele Alake, the ruling party accused the ADC National Working Committee, led by Senator David Mark as chairman and Aregbesola as secretary, of neglecting party workers despite its promises to Nigerians.
“It is unconscionable that a political party that has made many grandiose promises to hoodwink Nigerians owes its workers for more than 12 months,” Alake declared.
He argued that the alleged salary arrears exposed what he described as the contradiction between the ADC’s promises and its management of its own affairs.
“ A party that cannot pay its cleaners and workforce cannot be entrusted with our country’s affairs,” Alake said.
The APC campaign council maintained that paying workers promptly was a basic test of responsible leadership, questioning how a party allegedly unable to meet its obligations to its own employees could be trusted to manage the finances and welfare of more than 200 million Nigerians.
It accused Atiku, the ADC presidential candidate, of presiding over businesses whose employees had allegedly endured months without pay, including Gotel Communication, where workers were said to have protested over unpaid salaries and benefits.
The ruling party also reopened old political wounds over Aregbesola’s eight-year administration in Osun State, alleging that his government resorted to quarter-salary and half-salary payments for civil servants and left pensioners struggling with unpaid entitlements.
The allegations have not been independently substantiated in the statements exchanged by the parties.
Nevertheless, the APC seized on them to question the opposition leadership’s credibility on workers’ welfare, urging Nigerians to reject Atiku and other ADC candidates in the next elections.
“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,” Alake said, accusing them of pursuing power for personal gain.
But the ADC swiftly countered, turning the attack against the ruling party and insisting that the real test of leadership was the condition of Nigerians under the Tinubu administration.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party categorically denied the allegation, challenging the APC to provide credible evidence instead of issuing what it called fabricated claims.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC accused the ruling party of seeking to distract the public from the rising cost of living, unemployment and persistent insecurity, arguing that the APC should defend its own record rather than attack its opponents.
“When a government has no achievements to defend, it must manufacture allegations to discuss,” the party declared.
The opposition further accused the APC of preparing to fight the 2027 election with allegations against political rivals instead of presenting its achievements and explaining why Nigerians should renew its mandate.
The exchange has laid bare the competing political narratives likely to dominate the election campaign: the APC’s attempt to portray the opposition as incapable of responsible management, and the ADC’s effort to make the Tinubu administration answer for the economic pressures confronting households across the country.
