General Secretary of the City Boy Movement, Ogun State chapter, representing the All Progressive Congress (APC), Adeyemi Samson Ajasa, on Friday defended President Bola Tinubu’s handling of insecurity, insisting the President never promised Nigerians he would completely end it.
Mr Ajasa made the remarks during Voice of the People (VOP) Media Town Hall debate titled “My Candidate is the Best,” where representatives of major political blocs clashed over governance, security, and economic reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He argued that President Tinubu’s campaign commitments were focused on hard reforms, youth mobilization, and structural rebuilding rather than immediate elimination of insecurity.
“Tinubu spoke about ‘we will mobilize 50,000 youth, Gbagba Abado’… He never promised you he would end insecurity. He never promised you that Nigerian people will be able to resist temptation to perpetrate evil.” He said.
Mr Ajasa said the administration should not be measured by promises it never explicitly made during the campaign.
General Secretary of the City Boy Movement (Ogun State chapter), representing the All Progressive Congress (APC)
He maintained that insecurity is a deeper social and structural issue that cannot be solved overnight.
Defence of President Tinubu’s economic reforms
Mr Ajasa also strongly defended the administration’s economic policies, insisting that difficult reforms are beginning to produce long-term gains.
“The economy is coming back, the reforms are working. Yes, you cannot give birth to a child… you cannot conceive a child today and expect the delivery in the next one month.”
He argued that the President deliberately avoided politically convenient but unsustainable economic choices.
“It is very easy for President Tinubu to have sustained the economy now by borrowing, putting subsidy there… but he chose the reality.”
According to him, the administration opted for painful but necessary reforms instead of maintaining artificial stability through debt and subsidy retention.
Heated exchange over security statistics
The debate reportedly became tense when the moderator confronted the APC representative with tracking data suggesting that more than 26,000 Nigerians had been killed in violent incidents over a two-and-a-half-year period under the current administration.
Mr Ajasa pushed back against the figures and broader criticism, arguing that Nigeria’s security crisis predates the Tinubu administration and is rooted in institutional failures inherited from previous governments, particularly decades of weak security infrastructure.
He maintained that the APC-led government is focused on rebuilding national systems and strengthening long-term institutions rather than offering short-term political fixes.
Student loan programme and structural reforms
Mr Ajasa pointed to ongoing federal interventions, including the student loan programme, as evidence of foundational reform.
He claimed that more than 450,000 Nigerians had already benefited from the initiative, describing it as part of broader efforts to expand educational access, strengthen human capital, and reduce inequality.
He further argued that the current administration inherited a weakened security architecture and is now trying to close long-standing institutional gaps through structural reforms.
Background
The VOP Media town hall brought together representatives from the APC, Obidient Movement, AAC, Labour-aligned voices, and other political stakeholders to assess governance, insecurity, and Nigeria’s future ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mr Ajasa’s remarks sparked mixed reactions during and after the debate, with critics arguing that the statement reflects a disconnect between public expectations and campaign realities, while supporters say it highlights the need for realistic expectations around governance and reform outcomes.
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