Presidential aide and former journalist, Bayo Onanuga, has lashed out at members of the newly formed opposition coalition anchored by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing them as “desperados hungry for power” and warning Nigerians against being deceived by their defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a strongly worded post on his Facebook page, Onanuga dismissed the narrative that the defectors’ exit from the APC would shake the ruling party, asserting that many of them had become politically irrelevant long before their latest move.
“Some members of the hijacked ADC, who were reported as members of the APC, left the APC years and months ago. Let the public not be deceived by the opposition’s narrative about their relevance or whether the APC will mourn their departure,” he wrote.
He particularly mentioned former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, as individuals who had distanced themselves from the APC long ago.
“Rotimi Amaechi’s soul left the APC in 2022 after losing the presidential primary to President Tinubu. Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney-General, has never hidden his estrangement from the APC since Tinubu assumed leadership and since he lost the governorship bid in Kebbi,” Onanuga stated.
He also referenced ex-Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, who is now aligned with th0e ADC, noting:
“Hadi Sirika, now with the ADC, is facing trial for contract splitting and other allegations.”
Onanuga did not spare Rauf Aregbesola, former Osun State governor and newly appointed interim secretary of the ADC.
“The renegade Rauf Aregbesola committed anti-party in the last Osun election and was expelled as an unfit APC member,” he declared.
Further criticizing the makeup of the new coalition, Onanuga pointed to the inclusion of long-standing political figures.
“Kashim Imam and the octogenarian Chief John Odigie Oyegun are among the disgruntled politicians posturing as would-be saviours of Nigeria. Imam abandoned the APC after failing to secure the vice-presidential ticket in 2022. Chief Oyegun, a former party chairman, also lost interest in the APC and has been a foundational member of this coalition since its inception.”
Issuing a stern warning to the public, he wrote:
“My advice to Nigerians: Keep your eyes wide open. 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.”
Onanuga concluded with a prediction that the coalition would collapse under the weight of internal contradictions, “These politicians are desperados, hungry for power, not for the benefit of Nigerians but for themselves. 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.
What is certain is that the group will soon unravel due to their irreconcilable personal and political ambitions.”
The Facebook post comes amid rising political realignments and defections ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the ADC becoming a rallying point for dissatisfied politicians from multiple parties.
