The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is not losing sleep over the newly formed opposition coalition seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Felix Morka, the APC’s national publicity secretary, made this clear during an interview on Arise TV on Sunday, saying the party is confident in its performance and has no reason to panic.
“The All Progressives Congress is not jittery; we have no reason to be jittery at all,” Morka said.
His comments come in the wake of the coalition’s announcement of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its adopted political platform ahead of the next general elections.
Morka dismissed the group as a gathering of familiar political faces—many of whom, he argued, contributed to Nigeria’s long standing problems.
“There are many of the architects of Nigeria’s misfortune that have now become totally generational,” he said.
“They are the architects of Nigeria’s economic stagnation. They are the architects of Nigeria’s incredible dimensions of corruption, underdevelopment, and extreme poverty.”
Morka insisted that President Tinubu has shown more political courage than any leader before him and is tackling the country’s challenges head-on.
“In my experience, this president, unlike any other president that has come through generations of presidents in our country, decided upon his swearing in that some of the most acerbic challenges confronting our country must be confronted with seriousness and with total devotion,” he said.
“He summoned the political will, which no other president has done before him, to confront those challenges.”
While many Nigerians continue to grapple with economic hardship following the administration’s tough reforms, Morka argued that the signs of progress are gradually beginning to show.
He dismissed the coalition’s criticism of the government’s performance as dishonest and hasty.
“You will recall that this judgment by these characters who have now construed themselves to the ADC began very early on in the life of this administration to vilify this government and issue a report card that this government has not met the expectations of Nigerians,” Morka said.
“Even in the first few days of this administration, individually, they all came to that conclusion — this is a predetermined judgment.”
He went on to say that the blame being placed on Tinubu is misplaced, noting that most of his critics have held positions of national power for years.
“This president has only been the governor of Lagos State. He’s never been on the national stage,” Morka said. “Yet, the people who have occupied and saturated the political stage nationally today dare to suggest that this president is the reason Nigeria is on its knees.”
According to him, Nigeria is no longer on its knees. “Nigeria has arisen. Our economy has risen. The hope for Nigeria and for the future has arisen,” he declared.
“He has jettisoned the popularity — the need to be popular with Nigerians — because he’s putting Nigeria first. And when he puts Nigeria first, he puts Nigerians first. Our collective, your best interest first.”
In closing, Morka brushed off the idea that any political coalition could unsettle the APC.
“We’re not concerned about any kind of coalition, whether under the ADC or under ADA or any other nomenclature that they choose,” he said.
