Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Others Differ On State Of The Nation At 66th Independence Anniversary

As Nigeria marked its 66th Independence Anniversary on Thursday, October 1, 2026, President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi and other opposition leaders differ on the state of the nation.

In his address, “From Reform To Prosperity,” Tinubu said Nigeria had reached a turning point after three years of difficult economic reforms, declaring that the country had moved from correcting economic distortions to a new phase centred on shared prosperity.

He said the reforms were necessary to confront longstanding weaknesses in the economy and argued that they did not create Nigeria’s economic problems but addressed distortions that had been allowed to deepen over time.

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Tinubu also said the economic outlook had improved three and a half years after the reforms began, citing economic growth of more than four per cent in 2026, contributions from the oil and non-oil sectors, reduced oil theft, a substantial decline in inflation from its peak, rebuilt foreign reserves and greater stability in the foreign exchange market.

“We cannot erase in four years what accumulated over generations. But we can change its course,” Tinubu stated.

However, Atiku, in his address, said the past three years under Tinubu had plunged Nigeria into the most severe cost-of-living crisis in the country’s history, stressing that families were not merely tightening their belts but skipping meals, delaying treatment and borrowing to survive until payday.

The ADC presidential candidate stated that Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy with one announcement and no credible protection in place for the families who would bear the shock.

“Petrol, transport and the cost of moving food rose. He promised that the savings would benefit Nigerians. Three years later, the pain has an address in every home. Bola, where is the benefit?

“And beyond the market, our nation is bleeding. Armed groups have killed thousands and driven families from their communities. Farmers fear their fields. Parents fear for their children in their classrooms. Families dread the call demanding ransom for someone they love…,” he added.

Similarly, Obi said, despite the enormous promises made by the APC-led government of Tinubu in 2023, the nation continues to face deepening challenges across virtually every critical sector of national life.

“Today we stand before the world as a nation: With an extraordinarily large population living in poverty and severe hardship, over 140 million. With one of the largest populations of out-of-school children in the world, over 18 million.

“Where insecurity, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping continue to threaten lives and livelihoods, just recently, 37 young Nigerians in their productive age lost their lives, while millions of Nigerians struggle with hunger and food insecurity; over 40 million Nigerians will be in extreme hunger by the end of 2026.

“With unacceptably high rates of infant and maternal mortality; Nigeria today is the worst place to be born. Where youth unemployment and underemployment remain alarmingly high; over 35 million….,” he stated.

Similarly, the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation said the removal of subsidy on petrol and the floating of the Naira by Tinubu’s administration created “a calamitous economic shockwave that led to an astronomical rise in the pump price of fuel from N187 per litre to N1,500 today and the weakening of our currency from N460 to USD1 to about NI,380 today.

“The undeniable negative impact of President Tinubu’s reforms is the crippling of our productive sector, closure of millions of businesses, high cost of transportation, food, medicare and other basic necessities of life, degraded purchasing power of citizens, widespread poverty and utter hopelessness across the country, ” the organisation noted.

Meanwhile, the National Civil Society Organisations(CSOs) Summit 2026 was held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, where President Tinubu charged them to play a leading role in ensuring credible and peaceful elections in the 2027 general elections.

He urged CSOs to educate voters, monitor the polls, and advocate for electoral reforms before, during, and after the 2027 election.

Director-General of CSCHEI and National Convener of the Summit 2026, Ambassador Kunle Yusuff, said the event was convened at a critical moment when divisive narratives were being propagated for political gain.

Yusuff called on all stakeholders to contribute to credible, peaceful, free and fair polls.

“Let us all contribute positively to ensure that INEC conducts a credible, peaceful, free and fair general election in 2027,” he said.

Also, former ADC State Houses of Assembly Candidates formally joined APC, declaring support for the re-election of President Tinubu.

The ex-ADC state Assembly candidates, led by Princess Aslam Aliyu, were received into the party by APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Hon. Mohammed Hassan from Zamfara appealed for equal opportunities in the party, stressing that they moved by the giant strides of the Tinubu administration to join the APC work for his re-election to sustain the gains recorded.

Similarly, a chieftain of the APC in Zamfara state, Hajiya Hadiza Liman, announced her defection to the NDC.

Addressing journalists in Gusau, the Zamfara state capital, Liman said she moved with her supporters from 14 local government areas of the state.

She cited alleged neglect by Governor Dauda Lawal, saying they had given their full support to the governor while in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which led to his emergence in 2023.

Furthermore, APC won all the local government chairmanship seats in the local government council elections in Yobe and Enugu states.

APC won all 17 chairmanship seats in Yobe, while the African Peoples Party (APP) and the Action Democratic Party (ADP) got councillorship seats in the election.

In Enugu state, APC was declared the winner in all 17 chairmanship positions and 260 councillorship seats.