Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has sharply criticized the newly formed opposition coalition adopting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for the 2027 elections, describing it as a gathering of politically irrelevant figures driven by personal ambition and resentment toward the president.
In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Onanuga downplayed the significance of the coalition, which was unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday and included several high-profile defectors from major parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP).
According to Onanuga, most of the politicians paraded as defectors had already distanced themselves from the APC long before the formal announcement.
“Rotimi Amaechi’s soul left the APC in 2022 after he lost the presidential primary to President Tinubu,” he wrote. “Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney-General, has been estranged from the party since he failed to clinch the Kebbi governorship ticket.”
The coalition, formed following a meeting between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and other political heavyweights, has appointed former Senate President David Mark as interim national chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as interim secretary.
Among the coalition’s notable members are former transportation minister Rotimi Amaechi, former sports minister Solomon Dalung, former APC national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu, Ireti Kingibe, Eyinnanya Abaribe, and Abubakar Malami.
However, Onanuga described the alliance as a “desperate congregation” lacking ideological cohesion or a clear national agenda.
“Hadi Sirika, now in the ADC, is under trial for contract splitting and other charges,” he noted. “Rauf Aregbesola, expelled for anti-party activities in Osun, was never fit to remain in the APC.”
He further questioned the credibility of figures like Kashim Imam and Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, saying both had long disconnected from the APC. “Imam left after failing to secure the vice-presidential ticket in 2022, while Chief Oyegun, though a former party chairman, has been involved in this coalition since its inception,” Onanuga said.
Warning Nigerians to remain vigilant, he wrote: “A party formed solely on animosity towards President Tinubu—with no clear vision or ideology—can only derail the country. It is not a path forward but one that will take us backwards.”
“These are not patriots—they are political desperados hungry for power, not to serve Nigerians, but to serve themselves,” he added.
While the ADC coalition has branded itself a “national rescue mission” ahead of the 2027 polls, Tinubu’s allies, including Onanuga, insist the movement poses no real threat to the APC’s political dominance.
