The Presidency on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the emerging opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), dismissing it as a gathering of disgruntled political figures with no future.
Reacting to the formal unveiling of the ADC’s interim leadership in Abuja, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, ridiculed the new alliance as a doomed project led by political has-beens. Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account, @BwalaDaniel, he posted:
“Association of wild goose chasers, consisting of internally displaced politicians forming a dead on arrival party; better described in the words of @PeterObi as ‘structure of criminality.’”
Although Bwala did not name individuals, his comment was widely interpreted as a veiled jab at prominent figures said to be behind the ADC realignment. These include high-profile political heavyweights and former government officials who have either fallen out with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Among those reportedly associated with the new ADC movement are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
The ADC, which has struggled in past elections, is now positioning itself as a “broad opposition coalition” aiming to unify forces against the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections. Its new leadership includes defectors from both major parties, many of whom have cited disillusionment with internal party democracy, corruption, and lack of vision within their former political homes.
Bwala, who himself was a former PDP spokesperson and one-time critic of Tinubu before defecting to the APC and landing a presidential appointment in 2024, has since become one of the administration’s most vocal defenders.
His description of the ADC as “dead on arrival” underscores the growing tension between the ruling party and opposition elements attempting to reconfigure Nigeria’s political landscape. The harsh rhetoric also reflects the presidency’s broader strategy of discrediting emerging coalitions before they gain momentum.
While the ADC has yet to formally announce its presidential candidate or national platform, the coalition’s stated aim is to rally reform-minded politicians and civil society groups into a unified challenge against what they describe as the APC’s failure to address Nigeria’s economic hardship and insecurity.
With the 2027 elections still over two years away, the war of words between government loyalists and the opposition is already heating up, setting the stage for what could be one of Nigeria’s most contentious political battles in recent history.
