By Chesa Chesa
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of failing to pay its staff for more than a year, urging Nigerians to reject the party and its candidates in the 2027 general elections.
The council made the allegation in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, who criticised the ADC National Working Committee, led by Senator David Mark as national chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as secretary.
Alake described the alleged non-payment of salaries as unacceptable, arguing that a political party unable to meet its obligations to workers should not be entrusted with the responsibility of governing the country.
He said the situation contradicted the promises made by ADC leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whom the statement identified as the party’s presidential candidate.
“With this development, Nigerians can now see the emptiness and insincerity of those parading themselves as ‘new saviours’,” Alake said.
The APC campaign council also accused Atiku of having a history of delayed salary payments to employees of his businesses, particularly Gotel Communications.
According to Alake, workers at the media company and other businesses linked to the former vice president had previously gone months without salaries and staged protests over unpaid wages and other benefits.
The statement further criticised Aregbesola’s record on workers’ welfare during his eight-year tenure as governor of Osun State.
Alake alleged that Aregbesola’s administration struggled to pay workers’ salaries, resulting in the introduction of half-salary and quarter-salary arrangements at different times.
He also accused the former governor of neglecting pensioners for more than four years, claiming that some died after being unable to afford basic necessities.
The APC spokesperson said the alleged failure of the ADC leadership to pay its employees was consistent with what he described as a poor record of workers’ welfare among some of its leading figures.
He further alleged that the opposition leaders were motivated by personal interests and hostility towards President Bola Tinubu rather than the welfare of Nigerians.
The council consequently called on Nigerians and workers to reject the ADC, Atiku and all the party’s candidates in the next general elections.
It maintained that the management of staff salaries and other basic obligations should be a measure of a political party’s preparedness to govern.
