The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu of engineering the New Democratic Coalition (NDC) to weaken and destroy the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, made the claim in an interview published on Sunday, describing the recent defection of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso to the NDC as a major setback for opposition unity.
“Peter Obi and Kwankwaso, by their action, have handed President Bola Tinubu a lifeline. And there’s no contradiction about it,” Abdullahi said.
He alleged that the NDC was deliberately created to divide the opposition and turn the 2027 presidential race into a three-horse contest that would favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I am telling you anybody that is not working with the coalition, that is undermining the capacity of the opposition to provide a unified front against this government is working for President Bola Tinubu,” he added.
Abdullahi criticised Obi and Kwankwaso for what he described as desperation, claiming they defected because they sought guaranteed presidential tickets without going through due process.
“Have we done our primaries? Has anybody at any level in this party sat down to make a decision about where or who will be the presidential candidate of the party?… There was no such conversation,” he stated.
He maintained that the ADC remains committed to building a genuine coalition to rescue Nigeria, stressing that the party does not regard the defectors as enemies but will review any future collaboration.
The ADC spokesman also expressed disappointment with the performance of Tinubu’s administration, saying it was difficult to identify any area of success.
“I will not say that he is a complete failure… But it is difficult for me to imagine one area that I can say yes, the President has done well,” Abdullahi remarked.
He however insisted that Tinubu remains beatable in 2027 if the opposition presents a united and credible alternative.
