• ADC chieftain Ladan Salihu disclosed that APC will fail the “integrity and credibility test” in the 2027 general elections
• Salihu said Nigerians’ anger and frustration with President Bola Tinubu’s government will shape the outcome of the polls
• He accused Amupitan of failing integrity, neutrality and competency tests required of an electoral umpire

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Ladan Salihu, has declared that the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government will fail what he described as the “integrity and credibility test” in the 2027 general elections, insisting that growing anger and frustration among Nigerians will work against the ruling party at the polls.

Salihu made the remarks on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he delivered a scathing assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and expressed confidence that the APC would struggle to retain public trust in the next electoral cycle.

According to him, the ruling party may control the machinery of government, but it no longer commands the confidence of ordinary Nigerians.

“When it comes to credible elections and elections that are based on integrity, this government will fail the integrity and credibility test at the polls,” Salihu said.

“This government will not measure up with the anger and the frustrations of the Nigerian people.”

The ADC chieftain argued that the APC’s political dominance across key institutions does not translate to popular support, maintaining that public dissatisfaction with the government’s performance will define the 2027 contest.

He said despite the APC’s hold on 31 states and its majority in the National Assembly, the ruling party remains uneasy because it lacks the trust of the electorate.

“They have 31 governors, they have control of the Senate and the House, but they don’t have control of the people,” he said.

Salihu also renewed the ADC’s call for the resignation or removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, accusing him of failing to demonstrate neutrality and competence in office.

He described the INEC chairman as unfit to preside over elections in a country as politically significant as Nigeria, alleging that his conduct in office has damaged public confidence in the electoral system.

“Amupitan should resign or should be removed because in public service today, Amupitan to me is the number one persona non grata,” Salihu said.

“He has failed the integrity test, he has failed the competency test, and he has not presented himself as that impartial, credible umpire that can give Nigeria, a nation of 250 million people, an election to celebrate.”

He further alleged that the INEC chairman’s actions and public conduct have undermined the credibility expected of an electoral umpire, adding that his continued stay in office would deepen distrust in the democratic process.

“By his actions, his utterances and the way he conducts government business, he scandalises every person that has integrity in Nigeria,” he added.

INEC has repeatedly denied allegations of bias against its chairman, insisting that Amupitan remains neutral and committed to credible elections.

Asked whether the ADC would boycott the 2027 election if Amupitan remains in office, Salihu declined to give a direct answer, saying the party would take a position when the time comes.

“The election is our own constitutional responsibility as the leading opposition movement. When we get to that stage, we will make a decision about it,” he said.

He, however, warned that if the INEC chairman neither resigns nor is removed before the election, the opposition would intensify its campaign to force him out.

Salihu also claimed that the APC is increasingly unsettled by the momentum of opposition forces ahead of 2027, despite its growing institutional control.

According to him, the ruling party’s expansion from 23 governors after the 2023 elections to 31 governors today has not erased its fear of voter backlash.

He alleged that the APC’s growing numerical strength has been built through political intimidation and coercion, rather than genuine democratic confidence.

Salihu expressed optimism that the ADC would emerge stronger in 2027, insisting that many Nigerians have grown weary of the APC and are prepared to vote for change.

APC blames opposition figures for ADC crisis, rejects allegations

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had called on key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar and Rauf Aregbesola, to take responsibility for the internal crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), dismissing attempts to blame the governing party.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, alleged that the turmoil within the ADC stemmed from internal disputes triggered by the actions of opposition actors, particularly those aligned with Atiku Abubakar.