The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reacted sharply to the designation of Nigeria by U.S. President Donald Trump as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), describing the development as a “global rebuke” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and its failure to protect the lives of Nigerians.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and dated November 3, 2025, the ADC said what is truly at stake are the “thousands of human lives that have been lost to insecurity in Nigeria, irrespective of tribe, religion, or region.”
“We therefore seize this moment to pay tribute to the memory of all the victims and express our deepest sympathies to their families,” the statement read.
The party said President Trump’s remarks remind the world of the “greater global concern about the sanctity of human life” and the constitutional duty of national governments to protect their citizens. According to the ADC, the Tinubu administration has failed woefully in this sacred mandate, as “nearly 15,000 people have been killed since 2023 under this government’s watch.”
“Entire communities have been sacked, worshippers have been slaughtered in religious spaces, and bandits now control large territories — waging war at will and levying taxes on citizens with impunity. Boko Haram, once declared technically degraded, is once again growing in strength, while another international terror group makes open claims of successful attacks on Nigerian soil,” the party stated.
The ADC stressed that the CPC designation should not be dismissed as foreign interference but as a wake-up call to Nigeria’s leaders to take responsibility and restore the confidence of citizens and the international community.
The statement further lamented that Nigeria, once the moral and political voice of Africa, had lost its standing both as a continental and regional leader. “Under President Tinubu, Nigeria has declined both as a continental and regional power. Nothing underlines this decline more than the fracturing of ECOWAS under his watch,” it said, adding that smaller African nations now watch Nigeria “fumble aimlessly” with its domestic crisis.
“These failures are not isolated; they are all connected, pointing to a government that is so incompetent, so narrow-minded, and yet so blindly arrogant,” the ADC said.
According to the party, if the Tinubu government had been less obsessed with “politics, propaganda, and self-celebration,” it would have taken every violent attack seriously, documented them, and shown commitment to bringing perpetrators to justice.
“It would have acknowledged its weaknesses, asked for help, and rallied Nigerians for the great challenge ahead. Perhaps, this situation would have been averted,” the statement added.
ADC’s Recommendations
The party listed a number of urgent reforms, including:
- A full overhaul of the national security apparatus, including an independent audit of operations, leadership, and strategy.
- Immediate appointment of qualified ambassadors to restore Nigeria’s diplomatic presence and influence.
- A reset of foreign policy grounded in national interest, not personal promotion, with renewed engagement across ECOWAS, the AU, and the UN.
- Urgent economic reforms focused on price stability, credible anti-inflation plans, and a verifiable social welfare system to ease the suffering of the poor.
- An end to the personalization of public institutions, and a return to accountable, citizen-focused governance.
Appreciation To The U.S. And A Call For Reform
While appreciating President Trump and other world leaders for their concern about Nigeria’s security situation, the ADC urged that such concerns should translate into support for Nigeria’s democracy and internal problem-solving capacity.
“We believe that mobilizing armed troops, or even the mere threat of doing so, would do more harm than good and ultimately prove counterproductive to our democratic aspiration and to the long-term unity and stability of our country,” the statement warned.
Concluding, the ADC declared:
“Nigeria is not beyond saving, but time is running out. We must act now, with courage, clarity, and a commitment to protect the lives and dignity of every Nigerian. Certainly, Nigeria cannot continue like this.”
The statement was signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on November 3, 2025.
