*Insists president not governing Nigeria 

*Obi declares he won’t buy N150bn jet when people are dying 

*Zulum dismisses defection rumour, affirms loyalty to APC

*Ex-police minister, other PDP members move to ADC in large number, LP collapses structure into coalition

*South-south groups trade tackles over support for ADC 

Chuks Okocha, Emmanuel Addeh, Folalumi Alaran in Abuja, Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri, Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City and Raheem Akingbolu in Lagos

 
Nigeria’s new political coalition, African Democratic Congress (ADC), yesterday, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of being in a panic mode ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Characterising the government as embarking on “calculated incompetence,” the coalition stated that the administration’s sudden reform push was not borne of compassion or policy, but of political panic sparked by the growing influence and credibility of the opposition.

The declaration came as presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, took a swipe at the waste in the Tinubu government, stressing that as a Nigerian leader, he would not buy a N150 billion jet when hundreds of Nigerians were dying.

However, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, dismissed speculation in some sections of the online media that he would lead five other governors to defect to ADC. Zulum pledged his loyalty to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In another development, former Minister of Police Affairs, Hon. Adamu Waziri, allegedly, concluded plans to defect to ADC with a large number of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Yobe State.

Similarly, the entire structure of Labour Party (LP) in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State officially dissolved into ADC.

But two South-south groups disagreed over their supports for ADC. While South-South Coalition for Aregbesola declared support for the former Minister of Interior and now National Secretary of ADC, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, South-south Youth Amalgamation (SSYA) voiced reservations against ADC and its new promoters.

Nonetheless, in a statement by the interim National Publicity Secretary of ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party challenged the recent disclosure by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, that the government planned to remove bottlenecks to food security and export.

Abdullahi wondered why it took the emergence of the coalition to make the Tinubu government start thinking of how to make food available to the Nigerian people. 

The party stated that without the pressure mounted on the government with the successful unveiling of the opposition coalition last week, the government would have persisted in its calculated indifference to the plight of the Nigerian people. 

ADC said, “On Saturday, when Bayo Onanuga tweeted before the world that, moving forward, all bottlenecks hindering ‘the realisation of the Tinubu administration’s potential’ would be removed to enable food sovereignty and export, he didn’t just issue a statement, he issued a confession. 

“A confession that this government had, by design, been sitting on its hands while Nigerians starved. Now, under mounting political pressure, they want applause for doing the bare minimum? This is not reform. This is not leadership. This is a scramble for survival by an administration that has been cornered by its own failures.

“Let us make one thing clear, it took the emergence of the ADC and the growing momentum of a united opposition to push this government into action. It wasn’t the hunger of hundreds of millions of Nigerians that moved them, it was fear. Fear of the 2027 elections. Fear that Nigerians have woken up. Fear that, with a united opposition, 2027 will be a clearcut election between the APC and the Nigerian people.

“Make no mistake, the APC has been deliberately weaponising poverty. After Bayo Onanuga’s statement that they would no longer delay in removing bottlenecks that had hindered food security, the only conclusion possible from that statement is that the government had deliberately sat on its hands and watched Nigerians starve in the last two years.

“Nigerians must all begin to ask the Tinubu government the obvious questions.”

The statement questioned why the bottlenecks Onanuga alluded to in his press statement could not be removed earlier while millions went hungry and businesses collapsed.

It wondered, “Was it so they could stage a last-minute, propaganda-driven performance closer to the 2027 elections? This is a pattern. This is a strategy. This is not a government reacting to an urgent national crisis, it is a political machine managing optics. Every move they have made has been about political calculation ahead of 2027. Nigerians, shine your eyes.”

ADC maintained that the president was not governing, stressing that he is campaigning, two years early because he knows he is in trouble. 

The statement added, “He knows Nigerians have had enough. And the worst part. He is risking the country’s future, all in the name of his re-election bid.

“Onanuga’s declaration is not about food security or economic diplomacy, this is about politics and 2027.”

ADC called on Nigerians not to be swayed by choreographed press releases and sudden awakenings, insisting, “This is not governance. This is desperation.”

Obi: As Nigerian Leader, I Won’t Buy N150bn Jet While People Die of Hunger

Obi condemned the wastage in the Tinubu government, stressing that as a Nigerian leader, he would not buy a N150 billion jet when hundreds of Nigerians died of hunger.

Obi, who spoke on Channels Television last night, reiterated that he would not borrow for consumption, as it was being done under the current administration. He urged the government to disclose to Nigerians where it was spending savings from the fuel subsidy removal.

Obi said, “If your people are dying, you should be ready to die. That’s the job, it’s yours. If your people are dying, why should you have security as the government? Who is protecting you in the air? If you crash, everybody dies there.”

He queried the logic behind Tinubu’s purchase of a president jet.

Obi stated that if he was president, he would have removed the corruption associated with the petrol subsidy without necessarily burdening Nigerians. He criticised the Tinubu administration for acting in a “disorganised manner”.

The former presidential candidate of LP stated, “Everything is about organisation. If there is corruption associated with it, you need to remove it first, to remove the actual subsidy, to organise the economy, to gradually deal with whatever is remaining, and for people also to see the alternative.

“When this government removed subsidies, do you know what they said? They said it was to stop borrowing for subsidy. This government has borrowed more than the government of Jonathan and Buhari. As of the time Buhari was leaving, our debt was about N80 trillion.

“Today, we are almost N180 trillion. We have nothing to show for it. Is that what you want as a government? No. These are part of what I want to change. We must make a law that all borrowing must be for investments in critical areas of development, you don’t borrow for consumption.”

Obi stated that he would ensure incremental improvement in Nigeria’s electricity supply, if elected, explaining that those are some of the things he is ready to borrow to improve, instead of commissioning bus stations, like the president has been doing.

He also promised to strengthen the opposition political parties as president, unlike what he alleged Tinubu was doing to weaken the opposition, stressing that it is a way of ensuring that democracy thrives.

Zulum Dismisses Defection Rumour, Affirms Loyalty to APC

Zulum dismissed speculations in some sections of the media that he planned to lead five other governors to the opposition ADC.

Zulum, in a statement by his spokesperson, Dauda Iliya, weekend, described the rumour as unfounded and a baseless fabrication by unscrupulous elements seeking relevance.

He affirmed his unalloyed loyalty to the ruling APC. 

The governor said in the statement, “We have become aware of a fictitious and mischievous social media report circulating in certain quarters, alleging plans by me to decamp from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alongside five other governors.

“This is entirely false and exists only in the imagination of its sponsors. They are detractors who have made no meaningful contribution to the progress of Borno State or Nigeria. It is a classic example of cheap, politically motivated speculation designed solely to distract us and create unnecessary political tension.

“My loyalty to the APC remains firm and my dedication is solely to the welfare and progress of Borno State. I urge the good people of Borno and the general public to disregard this fabrication. We have no time for cheap politics. Our hands are full with the noble task of rebuilding and developing our dear state.”

The governor said, “I call on media outlets and the public to verify information from credible official sources and to ignore the desperate fabrications of those seeking relevance through disinformation.

“We remain resolute in our commitment to serving Borno State under the banner of our great party, the APC.”

Ex-Police Minister, Waziri, Other PDP Members Move to Join ADC in Yobe State

Former Minister of Police Affairs, Hon. Adamu Maina Waziri, allegedly, concluded plans to join ADC along with several PDP members. 

Waziri, who was seen with members of the coalition, was perhaps the strongest political figure in Yobe APC since its formation in 1999, having won the governorship ticket of the party for record four times (1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015). He lost at the 2011 primary to now late Usman Albishir.

He is believed to have over half of the members of the party as supporters, which led to his defeat of Tinubu in the state during the last presidential election.

Some residents of Damaturu, the state capital, told THISDAY that ADC was on Sunday seen in a show of might as supporters drove round the town in a convoy of vehicles blaring loud music to celebrate the emergence of ADC.

However, a politician, Abubakar Sani, told THISDAY that the PDP structure still remained intact for now, but “it was only the former Minister of Police Affairs, Hon. Adamu Maina Waziri, who happened to be the party leader in the state and his supporters/followers that defected to ADC. But the party structure led by Damagum’s people are still in PDP.”

Reacting to the alleged mass movement within the PDP rank in the state, also, the party issued a statement yesterday, saying the PDP structure has not been collapsed into ADC.

The statement signed by Yobe State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Salihu Baba, read, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe State has categorically dismissed reports suggesting the collapse or weakening of the party following the exit of one of its former chieftains, Adamu Maina Waziri.”

PDP described the reports as misleading, unfounded, and a deliberate attempt to misinform the public and undermine the renewed vigour within the party.

The party said, “The Yobe State PDP chapter and its entire structure from wards, local government and state remains intact and waxing stronger and has no desire whatsoever of joining any coalition. However, our doors are open and we welcome new interested members joining the party.” 

Labour Party Collapses Structure into ADC

The entire structure of Labour Party (LP) in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State officially dissolved and integrated into ADC. This was announced during an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held on Saturday, July 5.

The development showed realignment in the political landscape of the area, as prominent leaders, members, and grassroots supporters of LP declared their full support for ADC.

The decision, according to party insiders, was reached after weeks of consultation and reflection on the current state of national affairs.

A communique issued after the meeting stated that the mass defection was a “bold and strategic decision” motivated by a shared determination to salvage Nigeria from the persistent hardship and failed governance under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal administration.

A stakeholder, who elected anonymity, said. “The decision to collapse the Labour Party structure into the ADC in Ogbadibo LGA is a result of deep reflection and collective willpower. We believe the ADC offers a more people-oriented, transparent, and progressive political alternative.”

South-south Groups Trade Tackles over Support for ADC

Two groups, South-South Coalition for Aregbesola and South-South Youth Amalgamation (SSYA), traded attacks over support for ADC.

South-South Coalition for Aregbesola, yesterday, declared support for former Minister of Interior and now National Secretary of ADC, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, for teaming up with the likes of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, Chibuike Amaechi, and others in the new opposition party opposing Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

A statement issued in Benin City by Convener of the group, Mr Sunday Oleghe, said Aregbesola possessed the required capacity to lead the party to victory.

Oleghe said as governor of Osun State and as Minister of Interior, he brought many innovations that remained legacy actions till date.

He stated, “There is no better time for the coalition of political bigwigs to come together to save our country and democracy and with Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola being part of this history making decisions.

“As governor of Osun State, Aregbesola introduced Sukuk projects to Nigeria at a time when Christian Association of Nigeria opposed it in the name of Islamising Nigeria. In the last administration till date, Sukuk loans have been used to finance several projects. He saw what many then did not see in Sukuk.”

The group also said of Aregbesola, “He introduced school feeding as governor where he ensured that the food for the school children were produced by the farmers in the state, which also became a source of empowerment for the farmers in the state. Today, the federal government and several other states have adopted this school feeding initiative.”

But South-South Youth Amalgamation (SSYA) emphasised that Nigeria’s political trajectory was shaped not by the personal ambitions of a few, but by the will of the people and a tradition that reflected the country’s federal character and democratic values.

In a statement by its Chairman, John Carlkson, the group acknowledged the democratic right of political actors to form alliances but questioned the motives and viability of this particular coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

Carlkson stated, “While we acknowledge the right of individuals and groups to pursue political alliances, we must express our grave concerns regarding the motivations and viability of this particular coalition.

“At the heart of this new alliance lies an inordinate ambition that appears to prioritise personal gain over the collective good of the Nigerian populace. It is imperative to recognise that the coalition lacks the necessary capacity to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the upcoming 2027 elections. 

“The political landscape of Nigeria is not merely a chessboard for the ambitions of a few; it is a complex system governed by historical precedents and the will of the people.” 

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