The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Tinubu administration of manipulating official infrastructure data in a bid to deflect growing criticism over allegations of nepotism and regional bias.

Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, in a statement, said the government’s infrastructure progress report not only reinforced suspicions about exclusionary governance but also showed its “alarming comfort with misleading the public through #FakeNews.”

The ADC pointed to the hurried release of a glossy document titled “Infrastructure Equity for Every Region. Progress for Every Nigerian. The Renewed Hope Agenda in Action,” following accusations that projects were disproportionately allocated to the South West.

“Ordinarily, we would have commended such an effort at transparency. However, the context and content of the report suggest that this was less a gesture of accountability and more a panicked propaganda attempt at damage control in the face of mounting criticism about the government’s nepotistic and exclusionary tendencies,” the statement read.

The party noted that it was the first time any Nigerian government would feel compelled to prove it had given all parts of the country a sense of belonging.

“But the reason is clear: this is the most divisive government we have ever had, where governance is run like an exclusive membership club,” it added.

The ADC argued that rather than exonerate the government, the infrastructure report exposed “cronyism, sloppiness, and lack of equitable distribution of projects and spending.”

It highlighted several “misclassifications,” including the Damaturu–Maiduguri road, listed under the North West despite lying entirely in the North East; the Bama and Dikwa roads in Borno State, also misclassified as North West; and the Lokoja–Okene dualisation project, placed under the North West instead of the North Central zone.

“Lokoja is the capital of Kogi State, which, along with Okene, falls squarely within the North Central zone. Yet, the government’s report would have us believe it is a North-Western initiative. The Benue–9th Mile road is another case in point. This was mislabeled under the North West, despite Benue being in the North Central,” the statement said.

The party further claimed that some projects were listed twice — once under their actual regions and again under the North West.

“We know that budgets have allegedly been padded by this administration, but this is the first time we have seen infographics padded with such brazen creativity,” it added.

The ADC also argued that several of the projects showcased were initiated under the Buhari administration but had been repackaged and presented as fresh achievements