The Coalition of Democratic Leaders (CDL) has criticised the Presidency over comments made by presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, describing the response to former President Goodluck Jonathan as “panic-driven” and “unbefitting of a government that claims to be fixing the nation.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 30, and signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Fa’ud Mohammed, the group urged the Tinubu administration to “stop the theatrics” and address pressing economic and social challenges confronting Nigerians.
“If former President Goodluck Jonathan were truly irrelevant, Mr. Onanuga would not have spent so many words bashing his name. The endless invective reads less like policy and more like the work of a frightened spin doctor. Confident leaders govern; anxious ones write vindictive briefings,” the CDL said.
The coalition dismissed the Presidency’s reference to recent economic indicators, including a GDP uptick and the August 2025 inflation figure of 20.12 percent, arguing that such statistics do not reflect the reality of Nigerians facing rising food costs, job losses, and hardship linked to subsidy removals.
“Growth that fails to put food on the table or restore purchasing power is meaningless. Statistics without empathy remain propaganda,” the statement read.
On the Federal Government’s claim of $42.03 billion in reserves, the CDL described the figure as “cheap theatre,” insisting that reserves cannot measure whether citizens can afford school fees, transport, or business inputs.
The coalition also faulted the Presidency for criticising Jonathan while refusing to take responsibility for its own policy outcomes. “Accountability is reciprocal. If you wish to lecture on competence, start by answering why policy shocks were implemented with such visible human cost and why dissent is met with spin rather than solutions,” it stated.
The CDL urged the administration to prioritise governance over political rhetoric, stressing that Nigerians expect working power systems, secure roads, functioning hospitals, and a stable economy.
“Stop the theatrics. Do the job. Or step aside for leaders who will,” the group concluded.
