Hot Source* Says group a threat to nation’s democratic progress and stability
* Describes promoters of coalition as political desperados driven by personal ambition and bitterness
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The Presidency on Thursday described the newly-formed opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a hollow alliance of disgruntled politicians, warning that the group poses a threat to Nigeria’s democratic progress and stability.
In a formal reaction to Wednesday’s unveiling of the ADC-led coalition, the Presidency described its promoters as political “desperados” driven not by ideology or national interest but by personal ambition and bitterness towards President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a post on his verified X handle, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, noted that most of the figures now aligning with the ADC had long distanced themselves from the All Progressives Congress (APC), some even before the 2023 general election.
According to him, “Rotimi Amaechi’s soul left the APC in 2022 after he lost the presidential primary to President Tinubu. Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney-General, has also not hidden his detachment from the APC since the president emerged, especially after his failed bid to govern Kebbi State.”
He further stated that former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, now part of the ADC group, is facing trial over allegations of contract splitting and abuse of office.
Similarly, ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who was expelled from the APC for anti-party activities during the last gubernatorial election in the state, has also found refuge in the coalition.
Other notable defectors include Kashim Imam, who reportedly withdrew from the APC after failing to clinch the vice-presidential slot in 2022, and Chief John Odigie Oyegun, a former APC National Chairman, who has long distanced himself from the party and has been a key figure in the opposition’s regrouping efforts.
“These are not people of principle or vision. They are desperate men and women who cannot bear political obscurity. Their only bond is animosity towards President Tinubu, not a shared ideology or developmental blueprint for the country,” Onanuga explained.
He warned that the ADC coalition lacks both structure and substance, insisting that it would collapse under the weight of its members’ conflicting ambitions.
“A political party built on nothing more than shared resentment cannot move Nigeria forward. Nigerians must not be misled. This is a coalition of convenience that will only set the country back by decades,” the presidential spokesperson emphasised.
Onanuga urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, describing the ADC-led movement as a fragile platform that offers no real alternative and is destined to unravel in due course.
His words: “What we are seeing is not a credible force for change, but a gathering of the politically displaced, seeking relevance by any means possible.”
