The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has urged Nigerians not to vote for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2027 general elections, alleging that the opposition party has failed to pay its workers for more than one year.
The APC made the call in a statement on Monday by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, who accused the ADC leadership of neglecting the welfare of party employees despite presenting itself as a credible alternative ahead of the next election.
According to the statement, the ADC National Working Committee, led by National Chairman Senator David Mark and National Secretary Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has allegedly refused to pay staff salaries for over 12 months.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, the APC said, “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.”
The ruling party argued that the alleged salary arrears expose what it called the opposition’s inability to manage even its internal affairs.
It added, “With this development, Nigerians can now see the emptiness and insincerity of those parading themselves as ‘new saviours’.”
The APC also accused Atiku of having a poor record in the treatment of workers in his private businesses.
The statement alleged, “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 campaign council further criticised Aregbesola’s administration as governor of Osun State, claiming his government struggled to meet salary and pension obligations.
According to the APC, “The record of the ADC General Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, on paying workers’ salaries and pensioners in Osun State, where he was a governor for 8 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.”
The APC maintained that the alleged situation reflects the character of the opposition party and questioned its readiness to govern the country.
The statement said, “We are therefore not surprised that ADC, harbouring birds of the same feather, cannot pay its workers’ salaries.”
Calling on Nigerians to make their choice carefully in 2027, the APC added, “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.”