A federal lawmaker in Nigeria has come under fire for using a 2006 ADC plane crash as an analogy to warn people against joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a political platform adopted by the opposition coalition to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s reelection bid in 2027.
The ADC Airline flight 053, a Boeing 737-200, crashed shortly after takeoff from Abuja Airport, Nigeria, killing 96 of the 105 passengers onboard.
For many Nigerians, the loss of loved ones in the crash remains a painful memory.
The lawmaker, Clement Jimbo, who represents Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State in the House of Representatives, used the plane crash as an analogy to predict that the newly adopted opposition ADC will crash like the ADC flight.
“How many of you remembered the ADC flight 53 that crashed in 2006? It’s back again to crash again. Please don’t board!” he wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.
The lawmaker’s post, which has garnered over 230 comments, sparked outrage from Facebook users, particularly those from Akwa Ibom State.
“I remember my uncle was on that plane. Till date, we cannot get over the loss. If this is a joke, please stop it,” a Facebook user, Eno Ekanem, commented on the post.
“Are you mocking the dead?” another user, Ofonime Honesty, asked.
It’s insensitive to use events where people lost their lives to draw this narrative,” another commenter, Abasiama Udousoro said.
Several other Facebook users who commented on the post accused the lawmaker of mocking the dead.
Mr Jimbo did not respond to a text message or calls from our reporter seeking his comment.
