‘2027 elections will be contested on records, ideas’

Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it has observed with a mixture of amusement and concern, the growing desperation within the opposition, as Nigeria steadily counts down to 2027 general election.

Spokesman Seye Oladejo said yesterday in a statesman in Ogba, Lagos: ‘’Stripped of ideas, credibility and public trust, the opposition have now resorted to an audacious and shameful demand for political immunity from scrutiny, accountability and consequence.

‘’Unable to defend their records in office or articulate a coherent alternative vision for Nigeria, opposition figures have chosen to cry persecution each time they are confronted with facts, interrogated by public opinion, or held to the same standards they once weaponised against others. They want power without responsibility, ambition without accountability and relevance without performance. That era is long gone.’’

He said the desperation of the opposition had reached a point where it was evident that they were no longer just afraid of accountability, but also afraid of their own shadow.

‘’Haunted by their past actions and public records, they now seek political cover rather than public validation. This fear-driven posture explains the sustained attempt to blackmail the government into conferring an illegal and immoral immunity that has no place in a constitutional democracy.’’

The statement said: ‘’Let it be clearly stated that the government will neither be blackmailed nor ambushed into granting protection to political actors, who have not earned the trust of Nigerians. Immunity is not a campaign strategy, and persecution narratives will not erase documented failures.

‘’It is indeed ironic that individuals who supervised monumental failures, institutional decay, and the plunder of national assets now seek refuge in manufactured victimhood. The same voices that once applauded investigations, probes and sanctions have suddenly discovered ‘witch-hunts’ the moment the searchlight of accountability beams in their direction. This selective morality exposes not only hypocrisy, but also fear-fear of records, fear of memory and fear of Nigerians.

‘’Nigerians are not oblivious of the track record of those who now pretend to present an ‘alternative.’ The nation remembers where we are coming from and what it costs us to get here. Any so-called alternative that resembles a return to our vomit will be rejected by a discerning voter that has learned, sometimes painfully, from history.’’

Oladejo noted: ‘’As 2027 approaches, Nigerians are no longer interested in emotional blackmail, recycled faces, or political fugitives shopping for platforms that offer protection rather than progress. Democracy does not confer immunity from public interrogation, and opposition status does not translate to sainthood. Those aspiring to lead must first submit themselves to the court of public conscience.

‘’The APC-led government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains focused on the serious business of national renewal-economic stabilisation, security reform, institutional rebuilding, and the repositioning of Nigeria for sustainable growth. While the opposition demands immunity from questions, this administration demands results from itself and accountability from all.

‘’Let it be clearly stated: Nigeria will not mortgage its future to political actors whose primary campaign message is fear of scrutiny. The 2027 elections will be contested on records, ideas, courage and capacity-not on entitlement to immunity.

‘’History is watching. Nigerians are alert. No amount of manufactured outrage will shield failure from judgment.’’

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