APC Unleashes ₦100m Youth Empowerment Blitz in Adamawa, Opposition Cries Foul Ahead 2027

Daji Sani in Yola The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State has launched an aggressive grassroots empowerment drive, doling out more than ₦100 million to youths and women in just five months. Critics say the move is a thinly veiled attempt to buy loyalty as the party gears up for the 2027 elections.Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Yola on Sunday APC North‑East National Vice Chairman Mustapha Salihu boasted the party’s “Operation 20 Million” has created 100 millionaires among youths and women – roughly 20 new millionaires each month.

“For the course of five months now, we have shared ₦100 million to youth. We have made 100 millionaires already among youths and women,” Salihu declared.The party’s largesse extends beyond individuals. Salihu revealed that every ward executive committee chairman across Adamawa’s 55 wards received ₦1 million, while the APC also spent ₦12 million on nomination forms for 15 local government chairmanship and councillorship hopefuls.An additional ₦35 million was allocated for logistics and the ongoing e‑registration exercise.Defending the spending, Salihu framed it as “preparation” for electoral success, insisting that no state or local government officials have complained.“I’ve been doing this for five months. I’ve not had any complaint from the state exco and local government chairmen.

They were all happy, saying, ‘No, he’s building our party, so we have no complaint,’” he said.Opposition figures and civil society groups, however, denounced the program as vote‑buying masquerading as empowerment.A political analyst, speaking anonymously, warned, “When you make party executives millionaires just for being members, you’re sending the message that politics is about personal enrichment, not service.

”The criticism also highlights an uneven playing field, with smaller parties questioning how they can compete against such financial firepower.“This is why we keep saying the system is rigged in favor of those in power,” remarked a member of an opposition party in Adamawa.

Salihu dismissed concerns about a one‑party state, citing constitutional freedoms of association. He also attacked the newly formed opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), predicting it would collapse because it is “power‑seeking, not policy‑seeking.”As the 2027 elections loom, the APC’s strategy in Adamawa is clear: flood the grassroots with cash, enforce strict party discipline under a single leader, and present a unified front against a fragmented opposition.Whether this approach will secure victory or provoke a voter backlash remains to be seen.