The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of failing to pay party staff for more than a year, and urged Nigerian voters to reject the opposition party and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement Monday by its spokesman, Dele Alake, the governing party said the ADC’s National Working Committee, chaired by former Senate President David Mark and led administratively by former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as secretary, had “refused and neglected” to pay employees for over 12 months.
“A political party that cannot meet its basic obligation to the people who work for it should not be entrusted with the management of Nigeria,” Alake said.
He argued that the alleged arrears undermined the party’s positioning as an alternative to the APC.
The APC campaign council said the issue raised broader questions about the ADC’s financial management and its capacity to govern.
APC called on Nigerian workers and voters to reject Atiku and all ADC candidates in the next general elections.
The statement also sought to link the allegation to Atiku’s business record, and noted that employees of Gotel Communications, a media company associated with the former vice president, had previously gone months without salaries and staged protests over unpaid wages and benefits.
Atiku has previously faced public complaints from Gotel staff over salary delays; reporting by Premium Times in 2019 cited workers who said they had not been paid since September of that year, the statement added.
The council further criticised Aregbesola’s record as Osun governor from 2010 to 2018, alleging that his administration left workers and pensioners with substantial arrears.
Alake explained that during a prolonged fiscal crisis, Osun adopted a “modulated” salary structure under which junior workers received full pay while senior staff received reduced salaries; the state later sought federal bailout support to offset salary and pension obligations.
The Osun State government has previously said the payment difficulties stemmed largely from declining federal allocations and rising wage and pension costs, while acknowledging outstanding arrears.
Critics, including the current Osun administration, have alleged that the Aregbesola government left behind unpaid salaries, pension liabilities and debt; the claim remains politically contested.
Alake said the ADC’s alleged treatment of its staff showed that its leaders were driven by personal ambition rather than public service.
“Nigerians should not be persuaded by grand promises,” he said.
“A party that cannot manage its own workforce cannot credibly promise to manage the affairs of the country,” Alake stressed.
