ADC Slams Tinubu for ‘Exploiting’ Buhari’s Death, Calls FEC Tribute a Political Stunt

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Friday accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of exploiting the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari for political gain, denouncing a Federal Executive Council tribute as a “cynical” publicity stunt.

In a strongly worded statement, ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the administration had spent more than a year blaming Buhari for Nigeria’s economic troubles—only to stage a choreographed display of mourning after his death.

“The sudden embrace of Buhari’s legacy, complete with a publicized appearance by his grieving son at the FEC session, was a calculated public relations stunt by an unpopular government,” Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi accused the Tinubu government of attempting to whitewash its image, particularly in Nigeria’s North, where Buhari had a loyal base.

“Grief is not a campaign strategy,” the statement added, urging Nigerians to see through what it called a “grand deceit”.

The ADC criticized the administration’s previous rhetoric, recalling that Tinubu officials had blamed Buhari for everything from fiscal recklessness to an inherited economic crisis, and had distanced themselves from the late president’s policies—including the fuel subsidy regime and currency redesign.

“They have blamed Buhari for everything, accused him of fiscal recklessness, and claimed to have inherited a broken economy—not from the opposition, but from their own party’s former leader,” the statement read.

The party also condemned the inclusion of Yusuf Buhari, the late president’s son, at the FEC tribute as “unconscionable” and exploitative of a grieving family.

“What kind of government uses the private pain of a bereaved family to varnish its own public image?” the ADC demanded.
ADC reiterated its warning to Buhari’s family, urging them to be cautious of attempts to politicize the former president’s passing.

The statement concluded that “no public relations stunt can save a government that has behaved in the last two years like an army of occupation,” and expressed confidence that Nigerians would not be misled by what it described as a “grand deceit”.
No official response to the ADC’s claims was immediately available from the State House.