ADC mocks APC over ‘rented crowds, empty seats’ at Kaduna rally

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, ADC-PCC, has mocked the All Progressives Congress, APC, over what it described as a disappointing Northwest zonal flag-off rally in Kaduna, alleging that rented crowds and empty seats exposed the ruling party’s declining public acceptance.

The council said the rally, which was intended to showcase the APC’s political strength across the Northwest, fell short of expectations despite alleged mobilisation of attendees from the seven states in the zone and beyond.

In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC alleged that attendees were reportedly paid between ₦50,000 and ₦100,000 each, yet the Kaduna Township Stadium, which it put at a capacity of 5,000, remained sparsely occupied.

“For a rally billed as the Northwest zonal flag-off, what we witnessed was a shameful spectacle. Despite the alleged mobilisation of crowds from across the zone and beyond, the stadium remained scantily filled, with empty seats everywhere,” Ologbondiyan said.

He also faulted the reception given to speeches by APC leaders, describing it as unenthusiastic and at odds with the ruling party’s attempt to project political strength in the region.

The ADC-PCC further questioned President Bola Tinubu’s performance claims, criticising his reported commissioning of road projects at the rally.

Ologbondiyan alleged that some attendees expressed dissatisfaction with the APC after leaving the stadium, chanting “Ba mu yi,” a Hausa expression he interpreted as a rejection of the ruling party and its policies.

“You can rent a crowd, but you cannot rent acceptance. Even if people attend a rally, that does not mean they have surrendered their convictions. The real test of public support is what Nigerians will decide at the ballot box,” he said.

The council accused the APC of recycling promises made during the 2015, 2019 and 2023 election cycles without adequately accounting for its years in power.

It also accused Tinubu of shifting responsibility for Nigerians’ economic hardship to opposition leaders instead of addressing the consequences of his administration’s policies, particularly fuel subsidy removal, which it said had intensified the pressure on households struggling with rising living costs.

The ADC-PCC urged the ruling party to abandon what it called wasteful political jamborees, apologise to Nigerians over the prevailing economic difficulties and prepare for an orderly transfer of power in 2027.

The council maintained that the ADC offered a credible alternative to the APC, expressing confidence that voters would use the next general election to reject the ruling party.

“The message from Kaduna is loud and clear: Nigerians are saying ‘Ba mu yi’ to the APC and Tinubu. Come 2027, they will speak even louder with their votes,” Ologbondiyan declared.