The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused the Presidency of contradicting itself in its comments on Nigeria’s sovereignty following criticism of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The party’s position was contained in a statement shared on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, through his official social media page.
Abdullahi was reacting to remarks credited to the Presidency, which stated that Nigeria “is a sovereign nation, not a satellite of any foreign power,” while criticising Atiku over issues relating to foreign engagement.
According to the ADC spokesman, it was inconsistent for the Presidency to invoke Nigeria’s sovereignty after publicly celebrating a letter reportedly sent by United States President Donald Trump to President Bola Tinubu earlier in the week.
He argued that the Presidency had presented the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s leadership but was now condemning references to foreign leaders when they involved the opposition.
“Talking about hypocrisy!” Abdullahi said.
“The same Presidency that has spent the entire week celebrating a letter that was sent by ‘another country’s leader’ and framing it as a vote of confidence in Tinubu’s leadership is now lecturing us about Nigeria’s sovereignty,” he added.
Abdullahi further alleged that the administration had relied on the communication from the foreign leader to validate its performance.
“They need ‘another country’s leader’ to tell them that they are doing well. But when their matter is reported to the same foreign power, they remember their ‘dignity’ and ‘independence,’” he said.
