Abuja, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Presidency has launched a scathing attack on the newly formed African Democratic Congress (ADC), a burgeoning opposition coalition, labelling its members as “internally displaced politicians” and dismissing the party as “dead on arrival.”
The sharp criticism came on Wednesday as the ADC unveiled its new leadership in the capital, Abuja. Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle, @BwalaDaniel, to denounce the political realignment.
“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,’” Bwala wrote, referencing a past comment by Peter Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections and is now a prominent figure within the ADC.
While Bwala did not explicitly name individuals, his remarks were widely understood to target the architects and promoters of the ADC. The new platform is being touted as a broad coalition of opposition figures aiming to mount a significant challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The ADC counts among its members several high-profile defectors from both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC. These include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and Mr. Peter Obi. Many of these defections have occurred amid internal party disputes or shifts in personal political ambitions.
Ironically, Daniel Bwala himself was a prominent PDP chieftain before defecting to the APC in 2023. He was a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu until his appointment as Special Adviser in 2024.
Add Comment