The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has claimed that President Bola Tinubu’s recent focus on food security is a politically driven response to mounting pressure from an emerging opposition coalition, rather than a genuine attempt to address food scarcity in Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the federal government’s move to remove bottlenecks in the agricultural sector as a reaction to the growing political influence of opposition forces ahead of the 2027 elections.

The presidency, through Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had earlier announced that the Tinubu administration would dismantle all obstacles hindering agricultural growth, particularly in livestock production, as part of efforts to achieve food sovereignty and boost exports.

Abdullahi, however, argued that the timing of the announcement reveals more about political urgency than policy foresight. “When Bayo Onanuga tweeted that all bottlenecks hindering the administration’s potential would be removed, he didn’t just issue a statement—he admitted that the government sat back while Nigerians went hungry,” he said.

He further alleged that the administration had deliberately failed to act on worsening food insecurity until it became politically necessary. “It took the emergence of the ADC and the growing momentum of a united opposition to push this government into action. It wasn’t the hunger of hundreds of millions of Nigerians that moved them; it was fear. Fear of the 2027 elections,” the statement added.

The party accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration of “weaponising poverty” and managing optics rather than addressing real problems. Abdullahi questioned why the government allowed policy bottlenecks to persist while food prices surged and businesses suffered.

“This is not reform. This is not leadership. This is a scramble for survival by an administration that has been cornered by its own failures,” he said.

He also described the recent policy shift as part of a larger pattern of politically motivated decision-making, saying, “Every move they have made has been about political calculation ahead of 2027. Nigerians, shine your eyes.”

The ADC’s statement follows the announcement last week that a coalition of opposition politicians—including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and others—had adopted the ADC platform in preparation for the 2027 elections.

Abdullahi concluded by urging Nigerians not to be swayed by recent statements from the government, describing them as “acts of desperation” rather than substantive policy changes.