The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has launched a blistering attack on the Presidency over its celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declaring that no diplomatic correspondence or foreign commendation can rescue the administration from what it described as the harsh judgment of millions of suffering Nigerians.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party accused the Presidency of desperately seeking international validation while ignoring the deepening economic hardship, worsening insecurity and governance challenges confronting the country.
The ADC dismissed suggestions that the letter represented an endorsement of the Tinubu administration, insisting that exchanges between world leaders are routine diplomatic courtesies and should not be misrepresented as a vote of confidence in the government’s performance.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has noted the Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation. It is not,” the statement read.
The party maintained that diplomatic correspondence is a normal feature of international relations, stressing that such exchanges neither validate a government’s policies nor reflect the realities experienced by its citizens.
According to the ADC, the Presidency’s excitement over the letter only exposed what it described as the administration’s “desperation” for international approval despite widespread domestic dissatisfaction.
“What is apparent, however, is this administration’s desperation to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home. A letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people. The true measure of any government is not what is written about it abroad, but what its citizens experience every day,” Abdullahi stated.
The opposition party argued that the correspondence does nothing to address Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, noting that hundreds of women and children remain in captivity in Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while deadly attacks continue to claim lives in Benue and several other parts of the country.
It stressed that the letter neither declared insecurity defeated nor guaranteed that Nigerians could travel, farm or sleep safely without fear of terrorists, kidnappers or violent criminals.
The ADC further pointed to the United States Department of State’s travel advisory, which continues to place several parts of Nigeria under Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) and Level 4 (“Do Not Travel”) warnings because of terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime and civil unrest.
The party questioned how the Presidency could portray a routine diplomatic letter as an endorsement when the same U.S. government continues to warn its citizens against travelling to several Nigerian states due to persistent insecurity.
“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement. That advisory alone is a reminder that, whatever diplomatic courtesies may be exchanged between presidents, the international assessment of Nigeria’s security challenges remains far removed from the picture the Presidency is eager to paint,” the statement said.
The ADC insisted that ordinary Nigerians are far more concerned about personal safety, rising living costs and effective governance than diplomatic exchanges between foreign leaders.
“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism. On these defining issues, no letter offers relief, and no foreign commendation can replace the real protection of citizens,” the party stated.
Reaffirming its position, the ADC maintained that President Trump’s purported letter was simply routine communication between two heads of state and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the Tinubu administration or a reflection of its performance.
The opposition party urged the Federal Government to abandon what it described as political celebration of diplomatic courtesies and instead concentrate on tackling the country’s worsening insecurity, economic hardship and governance failures.
“The Tinubu administration would therefore do well to devote less energy to celebrating letters of courtesy from abroad and more to delivering measurable results at home.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether it improved the lives of the people it was elected to serve,” the statement added.