Presidential aide and veteran journalist, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed the newly adopted African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition as a gathering of “desperate politicians” motivated by personal ambition rather than national interest. He warned Nigerians to be wary of the coalition’s agenda, describing it as lacking ideology and vision for the country.
Onanuga, in a statement issued on Thursday, said many of the figures paraded by the opposition bloc had long distanced themselves from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and were of no relevance to the party.
“Some members of the hijacked ADC, who were reported as members of the APC, left the APC years and months ago. Let the public not be deceived by the opposition’s narrative about their relevance or whether the APC will mourn their departure,” Onanuga declared.
He pointed to former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as an example, saying: “Rotimi Amaechi’s soul left the APC in 2022 after losing the presidential primary to President Tinubu.”
Onanuga also referenced former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami and ex-Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika. “Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney-General, has never hidden his estrangement from the APC since Tinubu assumed leadership and since he lost the governorship bid in Kebbi,” he noted, adding: “Hadi Sirika, now with the ADC, is facing trial for contract splitting and other allegations.”
He further described former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as a political outcast within the APC. “The renegade Rauf Aregbesola committed anti-party activities in the last Osun election and was expelled as an unfit APC member,” Onanuga stated.
Commenting on other members of the coalition, he said: “Kashim Imam and the octogenarian Chief John Odigie Oyegun are among the disgruntled politicians posturing as would-be saviours of Nigeria. Imam abandoned the APC after failing to secure the vice-presidential ticket in 2022. Chief Oyegun, a former party chairman, also lost interest in the APC and has been a foundational member of this coalition since its inception.”
Onanuga accused the coalition of being driven by animosity towards the president rather than a genuine desire to serve Nigerians. “A political party with no clear agenda or ideology—whose members are united only by their hatred for President Tinubu—cannot be good for our country. It will only set us back by decades,” he warned.
“These politicians are desperados, hungry for power, not for the benefit of Nigerians but for themselves. They want power at all costs because they cannot endure another four years in the political wilderness or be banished to political winter and irrelevance,” Onanuga asserted.
He predicted the coalition would not stand the test of time. “What is certain is that the group will soon unravel due to their irreconcilable personal ambitions,” he concluded.