The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has described the Social Intervention Programme of President Bola Tinubu as a big scam.

​The ADC made this assertion in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Monday.

The opposition party noted that findings by the Auditor-General that N33.75 billion in cash transfers to 3.29 million households cannot be verified are proof of what Nigerians have long suspected.

It stressed that under President Tinubu, social investment has become a racket run for the benefit of officials, not the poor.

The party recalled that at the beginning of the Tinubu administration, N585 million was reportedly wired to a private account under Betta Edu before she was caught.

It further stated that another N44 billion went missing from the National Social Investment Programme Agency under Halima Shehu, before the latest report by the Auditor-General of the Federation that a sum of N33.75 billion cannot be matched to any verified beneficiary.

“Let us call this what it is. Not mismanagement. Not an oversight. It is an organised racket, which this government has run under the guise of a social intervention programme. They are stealing from the poor and telling them to continue to endure hardship.

“At the time, the government made a show of suspending her. Now she is back on the President’s campaign council.

“This latest report of an unaccounted N33.75 billion intervention fund, buried inside a larger N78 billion fund, and the historical pattern of corruption that has trailed this kind of programme would suggest that this government has found a way to steal from the poor by turning the social intervention programme into a criminal enterprise,” it added.

The party emphasised that instead of the federal government addressing the wanton corruption associated with such interventions in the past, it has announced an even bigger package of $1 billion without demonstrating that it has made any effort to ensure greater transparency and accountability

Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has sparked mixed reactions online following his appearance at the inauguration of the Abuja campaign office of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde.

The event, held on Monday in the Federal Capital Territory, was attended by Makinde’s supporters, Obi and other members of the APM.

Videos of the event shared online showed Obi expressing solidarity with Makinde and describing him as a qualified candidate for the presidency.

Obi said his presence at the inauguration was aimed at promoting cooperation among political leaders and allowing Nigerians to freely choose their preferred candidate.

“You have a candidate who is contesting for President today. My dear brother, Seyi Makinde, is he qualified to be President? Yes. He’s qualified,” Obi said.

He added that whoever emerged victorious through a free and credible election should be supported by others to work towards addressing the country’s challenges.

“Whoever wins, genuinely, from a free, fair, credible election, all of us want to work together to save this country from collapse. That is why I’m here, to show solidarity, to assure you that we are changing the people,” he said.

“We don’t want policies of quarrel, policies of disagreement. Let our quarrel be to feed our people,” he added.

He further expressed his desire for a country where citizens could achieve their aspirations regardless of their background or connections.

“We want Nigeria where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody. That’s what we want,” Obi added.

The speech, however, triggered varied reactions online, with some social media users praising Obi’s position, while others questioned the decision of a presidential candidate to appear at the campaign event of another presidential contender.

Omo_asunmogejo wrote: “Is Peter Obi not a ‘gbewudani’ by joining the campaign of another presidential candidate in an election that he himself is a candidate. If he is serious about his own campaign he won’t have time to be campaigning for another presidential candidate.”

Deximal simply reacted: “Lol. Presidential candidate at the inauguration of another presidential candidate.”

Segun Benson suggested that there could be more to the development, writing: “Something is cooking underneath. Well, once done, we will all see it, whether to eat it or trash it.”

Paul Bushman criticised Obi’s approach, describing it as “naive politics.” He wrote: “Can you see a democrat or republican at another party’s function endorsing their candidate while also contesting for the same position? Nothing like politics without bitterness. Obi lacks ideological faithfulness. No wonder he changes parties easily.”

Tripsoflife also questioned the development, writing “Obidients are supporting and marketing @PeterObi an NDC presidential candidate, in return Obi is marketing @seyimakinde of the APM. Stop Obi from attending places you guys think it was a joke, soon baba go campaign for Atiku and Tinubu. Obi(MTN) everywhere you go.”

However, some users defended Obi, arguing that his appearance demonstrated a willingness to put national interest above personal political ambition.

Odyssey wrote: “This man only cares about Nigerians. He’s not desperate to be president. He just wants to save Nigerians, so let’s try our best to support his goal for us all. Nigerians Wake up.”

Jeremial Olaposi described Obi’s approach as “the more you look, the less you see style of politics.”