Anifowose Samson
Presidential aide and veteran journalist, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed the new political movement emerging from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a coalition of disgruntled politicians lacking ideology, cohesion, or relevance within the current political landscape.
In a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, Onanuga said the group—comprising former APC stalwarts and ex-public officials—should not be mistaken for a credible opposition force, warning Nigerians not to fall for what he described as a “deceptive narrative” being pushed by political opportunists.
He argued that many of the individuals paraded as recent APC defectors had long ceased to be active within the party, either due to political losses or internal fallouts.
“Let the public not be deceived by the opposition’s narrative about their relevance or whether the APC will mourn their departure,” Onanuga said.
He cited former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, noting that “his soul left the APC in 2022” after losing the party’s presidential ticket to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Similarly, Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney-General of the Federation, was described as being estranged from the APC since the beginning of the Tinubu administration and his failed 2023 governorship bid in Kebbi State.
Hadi Sirika, former Minister of Aviation, now affiliated with the ADC, was also referenced—currently facing trial over allegations of contract splitting and corruption.
Also mentioned was former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, whom Onanuga said committed anti-party activities during the Osun governorship election and has since been expelled.
The statement further called out elder statesmen Kashim Imam and Chief John Odigie Oyegun—a former APC National Chairman—claiming both men had long distanced themselves from the APC due to unmet personal ambitions.
“Imam abandoned the APC after failing to secure the vice-presidential ticket in 2022,” he stated. “Oyegun has been a foundational member of this so-called coalition since inception.”
“Hungry for Power, Not Service”
Onanuga warned that the emerging political alliance is driven not by ideology or public interest, but by frustration and the fear of political obscurity.
“These politicians are desperados, hungry for power—not for the benefit of Nigerians but for themselves,” he stated. “They cannot endure another four years in the political wilderness or be banished to political winter and irrelevance.”
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, asserting that the group is held together solely by shared animosity toward President Tinubu.
“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 concluded by predicting that the movement would eventually collapse under the weight of its members’ “irreconcilable personal ambitions.”
