The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of turning the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari into a calculated political publicity stunt aimed at diverting public attention from his administration’s failures.
In a statement released on Friday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the Federal Executive Council (FEC) tribute to Buhari as a “choreographed spectacle” rather than a sincere act of respect.
President Tinubu had on Thursday led a special FEC session at the State House in Abuja to honour the late leader.
In his tribute, Tinubu described Buhari as “a good, decent, and honourable man,” praising his values of integrity, patriotism, and discipline.
But the ADC condemned the tribute as hypocritical, saying the same administration had spent over a year blaming Buhari for Nigeria’s economic hardship and distancing itself from his policies.
“This government previously disowned Buhari’s stance on fuel subsidy, economic direction, and public sector reforms,” the statement read. “Yet now, they are attempting to cloak themselves in the very legacy they once condemned.”
The party added that the government’s effort to associate itself with Buhari’s memory was a strategic public relations move targeted especially at Buhari’s support base in Northern Nigeria.
“The Tinubu administration’s sudden and cynical attempt to wrap itself in the memory of the late President Muhammadu Buhari—a man this same government spent over a year blaming, sidelining, and scapegoating—is hypocritical and in bad taste,” the ADC stated.
The party further criticized the presence of Buhari’s son, Yusuf, at the FEC meeting, calling it a political move that exploited a grieving family for optics.
“What kind of leadership exploits a mourning son just days after his father’s burial for political gain?” it asked. “That tribute, complete with a publicised appearance by the late President’s son, was not about honour—it was a stage-managed attempt to distract Nigerians from rising hardship and rewrite history in the government’s favour.”
The ADC also recalled its earlier warning to the Buhari family, stating that the recent tribute confirmed suspicions that the government would seek political gain from the former president’s death.
“Since taking office, the Tinubu administration has repeatedly blamed Buhari for Nigeria’s troubles—accusing him of fiscal recklessness and claiming to have inherited a broken economy, not from the opposition, but from their own party’s former leader,” the statement continued.
“Now, with the same breath, they want to be seen as custodians of his legacy. This contradiction exposes their true intentions.”
Concluding, the ADC called on Nigerians to remain alert and not be swayed by “photo ops and stage-managed grief.”
“We are confident that Nigerians can see through their grand deceit, the party said. “No public relations stunt can save a government that has behaved in the last two years like an army of occupation.”