…Amaechi, Malami Quit APC, Join ADC to ‘Rescue Nigeria’
The political landscape in Nigeria witnessed a seismic shift on Tuesday as a coalition of opposition politicians across party lines coalesced under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in an ambitious attempt to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The unveiling ceremony, held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja following an abrupt withdrawal of venue approval by Carlton Wells Hotel, saw former Senate President, Dr David Mark, named as Protem National Chairman of the ADC, and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, announced as Interim National Secretary.
The immediate past National Chairman of the ADC, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, alongside members of the party’s National Working Committee, officially handed over leadership and party paraphernalia to the newly unveiled interim executives.
Speaking at the event, Nwosu disclosed that deliberations on the coalition had been ongoing for the past 18 months. “The APC-led administration has become a government of palliatives, thereby abandoning its primary responsibility of ensuring the security and well-being of Nigerians,” he said.
Nwosu further explained that the coalition was inspired by national figures, including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida, and was intended to “usher in a government that would reflect the aspirations of Nigerians.”
The event was graced by a host of political heavyweights across party lines, including the 2023 presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who confirmed his resignation from the APC at the gathering.
“I have never believed that Tinubu is a material to govern the country… People want Buhari to come back,” Amaechi said in a scathing remark against the Tinubu administration.
He lamented the prevailing economic hardship, noting: “Nigeria is completely destroyed. People can’t eat. People can’t buy food. There’s no money to buy food. Everything is gone. Inflation is at its peak.”
However, the formation of the coalition has been met with resistance from within, as a faction of the ADC rejected the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola.
In a statement jointly signed by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, and National Publicity Secretary (original), Dr Musa Isa Matara, the group described the process as undemocratic and imposed.
“We are opposed to hijack, to imposition, and to speeches that sound revolutionary, but hide elitist intentions beneath poetic language,” they said, stressing that leadership changes must follow due constitutional process through a properly convened National Convention or NEC.
Matara listed seven points for rejecting the new leadership, citing a lack of mandate, unresolved legal crises, and marginalisation of youth. “Democracy cannot begin with imposition. The ADC must not become another replica of the broken parties we seek to replace,” he warned.
Kachikwu, in his reaction, said: “It is with the greatest amusement that I watched the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar-led group announce their takeover of the national leadership of the African Democratic Congress… The facts of the matter are as follows: the Atiku-led group is in some form of alliance with the former leadership of the party led by Ralph Nwosu. The tenure of the Nwosu-led executive lapsed on August 21, 2022.”
He further criticised the makeup of the coalition, saying, “They are enemies of Nigeria. They are enemies of progress. Nigerians can no longer be fooled. Nigerians from all walks of life watched the video—I just saw it today—and what you saw in that hall were ‘former’ this and ‘former’ that: former Vice President, former governors, former ministers. All these ‘formers’ are taking Nigeria back to its former glory. They’ve never taken us forward.”
Similarly, former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George, dismissed the coalition as a “dead-on-arrival political stunt.” He said, “It is baffling, and frankly disappointing that someone like David Mark, a man of military discipline and a two-time Senate President, could abandon the very platform that made him politically relevant.”
George also took aim at Atiku Abubakar’s repeated presidential bids: “Let’s be honest, if Atiku is on the ballot in 2027, he’s not going to win. Nigerians have moved on.”
An anonymous party insider countered George’s remarks, stating: “The Truth is, no Southern candidate can defeat President Tinubu in 2027. Only a northern candidate stands a chance. That’s why some of these so-called critics may actually be doing Tinubu a favour, pretending to oppose him, while playing right into his hands.”
Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, also distanced himself from the ADC coalition. “The PDP dignified them. We gave them visibility, wealth, and influence. Now, on behalf of their paymasters, they are tearing it apart. These are political orphans trying to eat the womb that birthed them,” he said.
Despite the criticism, David Mark maintained a defiant tone in his acceptance speech. “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,” he said.
He accused the Tinubu administration of pushing Nigeria into civilian dictatorship: “We have never seen a government with so much corruption, and yet much more concerned with the next election rather than the survival of ordinary Nigerians wallowing in poverty and at the receiving end of insecurity across the length and breadth of the country.”
Mark also condemned the weakening of democratic institutions, particularly the National Assembly: “The transformation of Nigeria’s National Assembly to a mere appendage of presidential authority is a dangerous conspiracy against the Nigerian people.”
In his remarks, former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, also announced his resignation from the APC, citing growing insecurity and economic hardship. “Nigeria is bleeding. Insecurity has taken over our homes, especially in the North. Banditry, kidnappings, and terrorism have become part of our lives while the government prioritises politics over the safety of its citizens,” he said.
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