ADC Claims Presidency Gripped by Fear Ahead of 2027 Polls

Yesterday, Nigeria’s new political coalition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of panicking ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The coalition accused the government of “calculated incompetence,” claiming that the administration’s rapid reform push was motivated not by compassion or policy, but by political panic caused by the opposition’s growing influence and credibility.

The announcement came as presidential candidate Peter Obi slammed the Tinubu administration, emphasizing that as a Nigerian leader, he would not buy a N150 billion jet while hundreds of Nigerians were killed.

However, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, denied reports in various online media that he would lead five other governors to switch to ADC. Zulum swore allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In other news, former Minister of Police Affairs, Hon. Adamu Waziri allegedly agreed to desert to ADC with a huge number of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members from Yobe State.

Similarly, the whole Labour Party (LP) organization in Benue State’s Ogbadibo Local Government Area has been legally dissolved into ADC.

But two South-South organizations divided on their support for ADC. While the South-South Coalition for Aregbesola stated its support for former Minister of Interior and current National Secretary of ADC, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the South-South Youth Amalgamation (SSYA) expressed doubts about ADC and its new promoters.

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

Abdullahi questioned why it took the formation of the coalition for the Tinubu administration to consider how to provide food to Nigerians.

The party said that without the pressure put on the government by the successful unveiling of the opposition alliance last week, the government would have continued its premeditated indifference to the plight of the Nigerian people.

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

“A confession that this government intentionally sat on its hands while Nigerians starved. Now, under rising political pressure, they expect applause for accomplishing the bare minimum? This isn’t reform. This isn’t leadership. This is a desperate fight for survival by an administration trapped by its own failures.

“Let us be clear: it required the formation of the ADC and the building momentum of a united opposition to drive this government to act. They were moved by terror rather than the hunger of hundreds of millions of Nigerians. Fear about the 2027 elections. Fear that Nigerians have awakened. Fear that, with a unified opposition, 2027 will be a clear-cut election between the APC and Nigerian voters.

“Make no mistake: the APC has purposefully weaponised poverty. Following Bayo Onanuga’s remark that they would no longer delay in addressing bottlenecks that had hampered food security, the only logical conclusion is that the government had purposefully sat on its hands and let Nigerians hunger over the last two years.

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

The statement questioned why the bottlenecks mentioned in Onanuga’s press conference could not have been addressed sooner, while millions went hungry and businesses failed.

It wondered whether it was so they might produce a last-minute, propaganda-driven performance closer to the 2027 elections. This represents a pattern. This is a strategy. This is not a government responding to an urgent national crisis; it is a political machine that manages optics. Every decision they’ve made has been a political calculation for 2027. “Nigerians, shine your eyes.”

The ADC claimed that the president was not governing, pointing out that he is running two years early because he knows he is in difficulty.

The statement continued, “He understands that Nigerians have had enough. The worst part. He is putting the country’s future at danger in order to win reelection.

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

ADC urged Nigerians not to be fooled by orchestrated news releases and unexpected awakenings, stating, “This is not government. “This is desperation.”

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Obi: As Nigerian Leader, I Won’t Buy N150 Billion Jet While People Die of Hunger.

Obi slammed Tinubu’s wasteful spending, emphasizing that as a Nigerian leader, he would not purchase a N150 billion jet while hundreds of Nigerians died of hunger.

Obi, speaking on Channels Television last night, reaffirmed that he would not borrow for consumption, as was done under the current administration. He urged the government to tell Nigerians where it was spending the money saved by eliminating fuel subsidies.

Obi stated, “If your people are dying, you should be prepared to die.” That’s your job. If your people are dying, why should you provide protection as the government? Who is defending you in the air? “If you crash, everyone dies there.”

He questioned the reasoning behind Tinubu’s acquisition of a presidential jet.

Obi added that if he were president, he would have eliminated the corruption involved with petrol subsidies without burdening Nigerians. He accused the Tinubu administration of working in a “disorganised manner.”

The former LP presidential candidate declared, “Everything is about organisation. If there is corruption linked with it, you must first abolish the actual subsidy, then organise the economy, gradually deal with whatever remains, and educate people about the alternatives.

“What did this government say when it eliminated subsidies? They claimed it was to prevent borrowing for subsidies. This administration has borrowed more than the governments of Jonathan and Buhari. Our debt stood at approximately N80 trillion at the time Buhari left.

“Today, we have about N180 trillion. We have nothing to show for it. Is that what you want from the government? No. This is part of what I want to change. We must pass legislation requiring all borrowing to be for investments in essential areas of development; you cannot borrow for consumption.”

Obi indicated that if elected, he will assure incremental improvements in Nigeria’s energy supply, stating that these are some of the things he is willing to borrow to enhance, rather than installing bus stations, as the president has done.

He also promised to strengthen opposition political groups as president, as opposed to what he said Tinubu was doing to weaken the opposition, emphasizing that this is a method to ensure democracy thrives.

Zulum denies rumors of defection and confirms his loyalty to the APC.

Zulum denied reports in several media outlets that he intended to lead five other governors to the opposition ADC.

Zulum, in a statement issued over the weekend by his spokesperson, Dauda Iliya, branded the story as untrue and a fiction by unscrupulous individuals seeking prominence.

He affirmed his unwavering support to the ruling APC.

The governor said in a statement, “We have been aware of a bogus and wicked social media report circulating in certain places, suggesting that I, along with five other governors, want to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“This is completely fake and only exists in the minds of its sponsors. They are naysayers who have made no significant contribution to the development of Borno State or Nigeria. It’s a classic case of cheap, politically motivated speculation intended merely to distract us and cause unnecessary political conflict.

“My allegiance to the APC remains unwavering, and my commitment is purely to the welfare and growth of Borno State. I advise the wonderful people of Borno and the entire public to ignore this lie. We don’t have time for cheap politics. “Our hands are full with the noble task of rebuilding and developing our beloved state.”

The governor stated, “I urge media outlets and the general public to check information from reputable official sources and to disregard the desperate fabrications of those seeking importance by disinformation.

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

Ex-Police Minister Waziri and other PDP members move to join ADC in Yobe State.

Former Minister of Police Affairs, Hon. Adamu Maina Waziri allegedly agreed to join ADC alongside numerous PDP members.

Waziri, who was spotted with coalition members, was possibly the most powerful political figure in the Yobe APC since its inception in 1999, having won the party’s governorship ticket a record four times (1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015. He lost the 2011 primary to the now-deceased Usman Albishir.

He is thought to have more than half of the party’s members as supporters, which helped him defeat Tinubu in the state during the last presidential election.

According to several locals of Damaturu, the state capital, ADC was seen in a show of strength on Sunday as supporters drove throughout the town in a convoy of vehicles blasting loud music to celebrate ADC’s emergence.

However, a politician, Abubakar Sani, stated that the PDP structure remains intact for the time being, but “it was only the former Minister of Police Affairs, Hon. Adamu Maina Waziri, the state’s party leader, and his supporters/followers defected to the ADC. However, the party structure commanded by Damagum’s supporters remains in the PDP.

In response to the claimed mass movement inside the PDP rank in the state, the party issued a statement yesterday claiming that the PDP structure had not been collapsed into ADC.

The statement, issued by Yobe State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Salihu Baba, said, “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.”

The PDP described the reports as false, unsubstantiated, and an intentional attempt to misinform the public and undermine the party’s renewed energy.

The party stated, “The Yobe State PDP branch and its complete structure from wards, local government, and the state remain intact and waxing stronger, with no intention to join any coalition. However, our doors are open, and we invite new interested members to join the party.”

The Labour Party’s structure has collapsed into the ADC.

The whole Labour Party (LP) organization in Benue State’s Ogbadibo Local Government Area has been officially dissolved and incorporated into the ADC. This was announced at an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting held on Saturday, July 5.

The development revealed a shift in the area’s political scene, with significant LP leaders, members, and grassroots supporters declaring their entire support for ADC.

According to party insiders, the decision was made after weeks of discussion and thought on the current state of national events.

A communique issued following the meeting stated that the mass defection was a “bold and strategic decision” prompted by a shared commitment to save Nigeria from the ongoing suffering and failed governance under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal administration.

A stakeholder chose to remain anonymous. “The decision to dissolve the Labour Party structure into the ADC in Ogbadibo LGA is the outcome of extensive deliberation and collective willpower. We believe that the ADC provides a more people-oriented, honest, and progressive political option.

South-South Groups Trade Tackles on Support for ADC

Two groups, the South-South Coalition for Aregbesola and the South-South Youth Amalgamation (SSYA), clashed over their support for ADC.

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

According to a statement issued in Benin City by the group’s convener, Mr Sunday Oleghe, Aregbesola has the capacity to lead the party to victory.

Oleghe stated that as governor of Osun State and Minister of Interior, he implemented several reforms that have remained legacy deeds until this day.

He remarked, “There is no better time for the coalition of political bigwigs to join together to defend our country and democracy, especially since Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is a part of this history-making process.

“Aregbesola, as governor of Osun State, introduced Sukuk projects to Nigeria at a time when the Christian Association of Nigeria opposed them on the grounds that they would Islamize Nigeria. Sukuk loans have been utilized to fund a number of projects under the previous administration. He saw what many others did not see in Sukuk.”

The group also stated of Aregbesola, “He instituted school feeding as governor, ensuring that food for schoolchildren was provided by farmers in the state, which also became a source of empowerment for the farmers in the state. Today, the federal government and several additional states have embraced this school feeding project.”

However, the South-South Youth Amalgamation (SSYA) emphasized that Nigeria’s political trajectory was created not by the personal desires of a few, but by the will of the people and a tradition reflecting the country’s federal character and democratic norms.

In a statement issued by its Chairman, John Carlkson, the group acknowledged political players’ democratic freedom to create alliances while questioning the motivations and durability of this particular coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

Carlkson added, “While we recognize the right of people and groups to form political alliances, we must express serious reservations about the intentions and durability of this specific coalition.

“At the heart of this new partnership is an unbridled ambition that appears to prioritize personal wealth over the communal good of the Nigerian people. It is critical to realize that the coalition lacks the ability to topple President Bola Tinubu in the impending 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.”