Coalition digs deeper, unrelenting despite pessimism

…Tinubu’s yesterday’s friends now political foes

…Oyegun, Aregbesola, others make the list

IIAs alignment and realignment of forces intensify ahead of the 2027 general election, many friends of yesterday are becoming political foes today.

This is evident in the components of the coalition movement that has promised to do battle with the ruling party and the sitting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

In 2013, some political parties fused to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) which went ahead to win the presidential election in 2015. Ten years down the line, Nigeria is witnessing another coalition aimed to wrest power from the APC.

Spearheaded by Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, the coalition has many other prominent politicians such as; Jhon Oyegun, former national chairman of the ruling All progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi, a former presidential candidate, Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, Emeka Ihedioha, former Imo State governor among many others.

Read also: Coalition says power must return to Nigerians

David Mark, a former senate president was named the interim national chairman of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), while Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun State was named the national secretary of the party.

This follows the resignation of Ralph Nwosu and his team.

While some officials have openly joined the ADC, others have pledged to support its efforts without leaving their parties. In recent days, there have been resignations of politicians from different political parties across Nigeria, especially the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to join the coalition.

Many coalition leaders have openly criticised the current Bola Tinubu administration’s policies, especially on subsidy removal and naira floating, and are uniting to present a formidable alternative.

But the presidency has downplayed the efforts of opposition coalition leaders to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

The Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication, Daniel Bwala, at the weekend said that Atiku, El-Rufai and Amaechi, do not have the political weight to defeat Tinubu in the next polls.

He described them as internally displaced politicians seeking relevance, stating that they have no vision for the country.

“They are just an association of wild goose chasers, consisting of internally displaced politicians forming a dead on arrival party. They are politicians seeking relevance, and they do not have any vision for the country,” he said.

However, the coalition leaders say the current President Tinubu-led administration has retarded the country, even worse than it met it after Muhamamdu Buhari’s administration and called for Nigerians to vote it out in 2027.

There have been mixed reactions to the launch of the coalition across the country among Nigerians.

But many citizens have urged caution, refusing to be cowed by these politicians; they said most of them had been in public offices before, without making any meaningful impact or providing good governance to their people.

Other critics have also dismissed the coalition, saying that the situation in 2013 is not the same as today’s.

They said that at that time many people had become tired with the Goodluck Jonathan administration, and that going by the way elections are conducted these days, with the party in power influencing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), that the coalition would not make any impact in the 2027 election as to dislodge Tinubu.

Despite the pessimism among many citizens, the coalition leaders remain determined to achieve its goal, which is firstly, to mobilise Nigerians to unseat the incumbent administration in 2027.

Coalition formed to fight one-party state, rescue Nigeria – Mark

Speaking at the launch, ADC interim chair, Mark said that the coalition had nothing to do with election or gaining power. To him, it was about the battle for the democratic soul of the country ominously flirting with one-party statehood.

Mark said: “Let it be known to all that this coalition of national political opposition groups goes beyond gaining political power. It is a concerted effort to rebuild the crumbling pillars of Nigeria’s democracy.

“Today marks the beginning of what we believe will be a long, difficult and tedious journey. However, it is a journey that we are prepared to undertake, united in our collective belief that no price or sacrifice is too high in the service of our fatherland.”

He added, “The blatant destabilisation and infiltration of all major opposition political parties is aimed at achieving only one objective, to enhance total state capture and leave Nigerians with no alternative or options in 2027. This coalition is to prevent our country’s descent into a one-party state.”

Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC Publicity Secretary said it was imperative that the country is rescued, accusing the APC-led government of driving millions into poverty.

“We are aggrieved because the poor can no longer send their children to school. We are aggrieved by the worsening insecurity in the FCT. But it is rather too late in the day to cry,” Abdullahi said.

He noted that the coalition movement belongs to the Nigerian people who had been promised renewed hope, but have been served renewed hopelessness.

He pointed out that no amount of attack against the leaders of the coalition could stem the tide of the coalition.

Speaking at the launch, ADC interim chair, Mark, said that the coalition had nothing to do with election or gaining power. To him, it was about the battle for the democratic soul of the country ominously flirting with one-party statehood.

Mark said: “Let it be known to all that this coalition of national political opposition groups goes beyond gaining political power. It is a concerted effort to rebuild the crumbling pillars of Nigeria’s democracy.

“Today marks the beginning of what we believe will be a long, difficult and tedious journey. However, it is a journey that we are prepared to undertake, united in our collective belief that no price or sacrifice is too high in the service of our fatherland.”

He added, “The blatant destabilisation and infiltration of all major opposition political parties is aimed at achieving only one objective, to enhance total state capture and leave Nigerians with no alternative or options in 2027. This coalition is to prevent our country’s descent into a one-party state.

Mass movement of politicians into ADC

Since the coalition was launched last week, there have been mass resignations of politicians from different political parties into the ADC.

In Lagos, several politicians, including notable chieftains of the PDP have signified their intention to dump the party for the ADC.

There are those that have officially joined the ADC.

A PDP leader in Epe, Lagos, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to BusinessDay Sunday, said he had left the PDP with his supporters and would officially join the ADC in the coming days.

He said the APC had been hijacked by the ruling party, noting that the coalition would save the country from one party state.

“The PDP is dead, it is obvious they can’t present a presidential candidate, why can’t they join the coalition?”. For me and my people, we have left for ADC”, he said.

Also, Rahman Owokoniran, PDP chieftain for 18 years, announced his resignation from the party last Thurday, citing personal reasons and the desire to mitigate potential conflicts.

In his letter addressed to the PDP Mende/Anthony (Ward C) chairman, Owokoniran expressed his deep appreciation for the unwavering support and commitment he received from the party community throughout his tenure.

He articulated the difficulty surrounding his decision to depart from the party, effective immediately, to pursue new opportunities that align with his professional aspirations.

Furthermore, Owokoniran has assumed a pivotal role in facilitating the integration of the PDP Lagos chapter into the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition.

Speaking to BusinessDay Sunday, a PDP chieftain Babatunde Olarewaju, said he had defected to the ADC and resigned from the party, saying that there was no way back for the party. He pointed out the coalition would rescue the country, noting that Nigerians were poorer under the current government.

“Our people can’t eat what kind of government is this, we would remove them in 2027, I can tell you that. For me, I moved to ADC yesterday”, he said.

Coalition to unveil blueprint – Ralph Nwosu

The former national chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Ralph Nwosu, has said that the coalition would, in the coming weeks, unveil its blueprint tagged “Contract with Nigerians.”

This, he said, would set the nation on the path of real progress and development.

Nwosu explained that the coalition was agreed upon after no fewer than 10 National Working Committee and National Executive Committee meetings of the party, as well as meetings with coalition partners spanning the last 18 months.

He said, “I’m part of the people making the decisions. We volunteered our party for this purpose because we knew that this day would come, from the day we formed our party. And, the real building of Nigeria has just begun. The real building of Nigerian democracy and development has just begun.

“Following the launch of the coalition, the contract with Nigerians will be unveiled within a few weeks. This is because there has to be a new contract. Nigeria cannot continue to follow this way. So, that contract will be unveiled.

“So, this is the real coalition now? I always continue to say this is the coalition. All the others are distractions by agents of government and agents of doom.”

Nwosu added that the coalition had begun to have its foothold on the 774 local government areas and all wards across the country.

“We’ve been on this for the last 18 months. We’ve held over 10 different NWC and NEC meetings. And then, on our party side, we are preparing the party. We’ve also had meetings with all the coalition partners. And, we are telling them, come.

“That is why, within three weeks, we’ve held convergences of all the coalition partners across Nigeria. We’ve held a convergence of coalition partners under the ADC platform across the 36 states and the FCT.

“And now, the same convergence of coalition partners is being taken to the 774 local governments, and all the wards in the country,” Nwosu said.

Read also: ADC coalition politicians should prepare for the 2031 election – Presidency

Coalition may fail, not formed to tackle Nigeria’s problem—Pundit

The coalition may fail to tackle the numerous challenges bedevilling the country, because it was formed primarily to acquire power, political scientist Sylvester Odion Ahaaine has said.

Speaking with BusinessDay Sunday, the professor argued that alliances are formed on the basis of programmes, and not for grabbing power’s sake.

He pointed out that the current politicians have not put the real issues on the table, noting that they are part of the problem and don’t seem to have solutions to the challenges bedevilling Nigeria.

“The coalition politicians are preoccupied with capturing power which makes them go into alliance, but alliances are formed on the basis of programmes, not for power’s sake.

“The current politicians have not put the real issues on the table,

they are part of the problem, I do not see them tackling the current challenges bedevilling us now. The coalition is still trying to find its foot.

Speaking further, he said, “Tinubu needs to rejig some of his policies, bring in fresh ideas and new people, fresh minds. The government has to change things.”