The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) says Nigerians do not need leaders who are “too big to talk to them,” as it criticizes President Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar in the run-up to the 2027 presidential election. NDC Director of New Media and Strategic Communications Theo Abu Agada makes the remarks while arguing that some candidates have not shown enough accessibility to citizens.
Across the reports, the immediate trigger is an NBA-organized event in Port Harcourt connected to a peace accord signing. The NDC says Tinubu and Abubakar were conspicuously absent from the Peace Accord signing and the Nigerian Bar Association gathering. Agada contrasts this with the party’s position that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has consistently attended key national events and engaged with citizens.
While both outlets highlight the same core message and the same figures, their wording differs: one frames the criticism more generally as a response to the idea that citizens want approachable leaders, while the other ties it directly to the specific missed NBA event. Neither source provides direct replies from Tinubu or Atiku, focusing instead on the NDC’s statements and comparisons.
