Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, blasted opposition figures joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing them as “desperados” motivated solely by animosity towards the president.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Onanuga dismissed the new coalition as an assembly of politically irrelevant figures, stating: “A political party with no clear agenda or ideology—whose members are united only by their hatred for President Tinubu—cannot be good for our country. It will only set us back by decades.”
The presidential aide specifically targeted high-profile defectors including former Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola, whom he labeled as politically insignificant after his APC expulsion and ex-Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, whose “soul left the APC” after losing the 2022 presidential primary.
Turning to the former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, he alleged that he has become estranged since failing to secure Kebbi governorship ticket, while Kashim Imam and former APC Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun were branded as disgruntled elements.
“They want power at all costs because they cannot endure another four years in the political wilderness or be banished to political winter and irrelevance,” Onanuga asserted, predicting the coalition’s imminent collapse due to “irreconcilable personal ambitions.”
The rebuttal comes as opposition forces regroup ahead of 2027 elections, with the ADC emerging as a potential umbrella for anti-Tinubu elements. Onanuga’s characterization of the defectors as “desperate and hungry politicians” signals the administration’s strategy to frame the opposition as self-serving rather than principled.
“My advice to Nigerians: Keep your eyes wide open,” the presidential aide cautioned, attempting to preemptively undermine the coalition’s credibility. The verbal offensive suggests growing recognition within Tinubu’s circle of the need to counter opposition consolidation efforts early in the election cycle.
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