NDC urges Nigerians to vote out Tinubu over fresh $7.7bn loan

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged Nigerians to vote for the proposed Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso presidential ticket in the January 16, 2027 general election, accusing President Bola Tinubu of plunging the country further into debt through repeated borrowing.

The party said the growing debt burden and the financial obligations being transferred to future generations made the 2027 election critical to Nigeria’s economic future.

The NDC’s Spokesperson for the National Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Constance Ikokwu, made the call in a statement issued on Thursday, following Tinubu’s latest request to the National Assembly for approval of a $7.7bn external borrowing plan, estimated at N10.79tn, to finance the 2026 budget deficit.

Ikokwu described the development as a case of “one week, new loan”, arguing that Nigerians must use their votes to demand accountability and responsible management of public resources.

She urged citizens to emulate Americans who participated in the November 4, 2026 elections, saying electoral participation remained a powerful means of changing government and addressing economic challenges.

According to her, Nigerians should not resign themselves to economic hardship but should exercise their democratic rights to determine the country’s leadership.

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She said, “Truly, it seems that right now, we cannot stop President Tinubu from his One Week! New Loan! One Week! New Loan! borrowing spree, which is already hitting the roof, because, regrettably, he has pocketed the National Assembly. We seem to have a rubber-stamp legislature that before a loan request formally gets to its desk, it has already been endorsed.

“But Nigerians should not despair. The ballot remains our most powerful instrument of change. We appeal to citizens to use their votes to rescue the country from this debt trap and entrust its future to a government committed to transparency, accountability and prudent management of public resources.”

The NDC spokesperson also criticised the National Assembly, alleging that lawmakers had failed to adequately scrutinise the Federal Government’s borrowing requests.

She maintained that Nigeria’s economic future should not be compromised by what she described as unsustainable borrowing and mismanagement of public funds.

The party called on Nigerians to turn out in large numbers on election day and support Obi and Kwankwaso, whom it presented as an alternative leadership option ahead of the 2027 presidential election.