ADC Accuses APC of Paying Rally Attendees, Questions Kaduna Turnout

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of relying on paid attendees to boost its Northwest zonal campaign rally in Kaduna, questioning whether the gathering reflected genuine public support for President Bola Tinubu.

The council made the allegation in a statement attributed to its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, following the APC rally held at Kaduna Township Stadium on Saturday, October 24, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ologbondiyan alleged that attendees were mobilised from the seven states in the Northwest and other parts of the country, with payments reportedly ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦100,000 per person.

He claimed that parts of the stadium remained sparsely occupied despite the alleged mobilisation, describing the turnout as disappointing for a rally intended to demonstrate the ruling party’s political strength in the region.

The council also criticised the reception given to speeches by APC leaders, arguing that the gathering did not demonstrate the level of public enthusiasm the ruling party sought to project.

“You can rent a crowd, but you cannot rent acceptance,” Ologbondiyan said, according to the statement reproduced in reports of the reaction.

The ADC-PCC further alleged that some attendees expressed dissatisfaction with the APC after leaving the venue, claiming they chanted “Ba mu yi”, a Hausa expression it interpreted as a rejection of the ruling party and its policies.

The allegation that attendees were paid has not been independently established, and no documentary evidence confirming the amounts cited was available in the sources examined.

ADC questions Tinubu’s economic record

The opposition campaign council also criticised Tinubu’s handling of Nigeria’s economic difficulties, accusing him of shifting responsibility for hunger and poverty to opposition politicians rather than addressing the effects of his administration’s policies.

At the Kaduna rally, Tinubu had blamed opposition figures for the country’s hunger and poverty, saying his administration was working to eradicate the problems.

The ADC-PCC argued that the removal of the petrol subsidy under Tinubu had increased pressure on households already struggling with rising living costs.

It also accused the APC of repeating campaign promises made during the 2015, 2019 and 2023 election cycles without adequately accounting for its years in power.

The council called on the ruling party to apologise to Nigerians over the economic difficulties and prepare for an orderly transfer of power after the 2027 election.

It maintained that the ADC offered an alternative to the APC-led government and predicted that voters would determine the ruling party’s electoral prospects at the ballot box.

Reports differ on rally attendance

Independent reporting presents a different picture of attendance at the Kaduna rally.

Reuters reported that thousands of APC supporters had filled much of the Ranchers Bees Stadium by midday on Saturday, with additional attendees arriving as the event began.

An earlier report also described supporters arriving ahead of the rally and spending the night at the venue and on surrounding streets.

The accounts do not independently settle whether some seats remained unoccupied at particular points during the event. Nor do they establish whether any attendees received the sums alleged by the ADC-PCC.

The rival accounts highlight the need to distinguish between the visible turnout at a political rally and claims about how attendees were mobilised or paid.

With the 2027 presidential election approaching, the APC and opposition parties are increasingly using campaign events to demonstrate political strength and challenge one another’s claims of public support.

Ultimately, the extent of each party’s electoral support will be determined by voters at the polls.