The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s leadership, warning President Bola Tinubu to learn from the unfolding crisis in Venezuela amid worsening insecurity and economic hardship at home.
ADC said recent actions by the United States against Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro, should serve as a warning to governments accused of lacking legitimacy.
The party criticised Tinubu’s silence on both the Venezuela development and Nigeria’s security challenges, describing it as embarrassing and suggestive of fear.
ADC stressed that while it supports national sovereignty, governments that undermine democracy and citizens’ rights expose themselves to external intervention.
MURIC also cautioned the Tinubu administration against allowing U.S. involvement in Nigeria’s security affairs, warning that such moves could expose the country to a Venezuela-style crisis.
The group said Venezuela’s experience highlights the dangers of inviting foreign powers into domestic political and security matters.
Meanwhile, controversy trailed a photograph of President Tinubu meeting Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris, after claims surfaced that it was AI-generated.
The Presidency dismissed the claims as false, insisting the photograph was authentic, though scepticism persisted online following the appearance of an AI watermark on an enhanced version.
Reacting, Atiku Abubakar accused the Presidency of misplaced priorities, saying Nigerians need leadership, not detailed updates about the President’s meals in Paris.
He argued that focusing on photo disputes and dinner schedules while insecurity and hardship worsen reflects a troubling disconnect from the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.