The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed claims suggesting that the Federal Government is persecuting Christians, describing such insinuations as misleading and politically charged.

Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme monitored on Tuesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) often interprets legitimate criticism as hostility towards its administration.

Abdullahi made the clarification while reacting to the recent classification of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” by former U.S. President Donald Trump over alleged Christian genocide.

Trump had alleged that the Nigerian government was permitting the killing of Christians and hinted that he had directed the U.S. Defence Department to prepare for possible military intervention if the situation persisted.

However, Abdullahi faulted the narrative, stressing that no political party or group within Nigeria had accused the Tinubu-led government of religious persecution.

“Nobody is accusing this government of persecuting Christians or promoting religious bigotry. They are simply missing the point,” he said.

According to him, the APC’s tendency to equate criticism with animosity reflects a pattern of insecurity and poor governance.

“The APC has demonstrated historical incompetence. They behave like someone who constantly embarrasses himself and blames others for it,” Abdullahi stated.

He explained that, rather than viewing Trump’s comments as a political opportunity, the ADC was concerned about the reputational damage to Nigeria.

“We feel embarrassed as Nigerians that outsiders are portraying our security challenges in ways that could deepen division among our people,” he said.

The ADC spokesman emphasized that the focus should be on finding lasting solutions to insecurity, rather than politicising international observations.