The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of orchestrating a covert campaign to undermine Nigeria’s emerging opposition coalition.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, the ADC said the Tinubu-led government was unsettled by the July 1 formation of the Coalition and the formal unveiling of the ADC on July 2, describing the reactions from the presidency as signs of political desperation.
According to Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, Interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, “Rather than respond to the growing discontent in the country with reforms, the administration has reverted to its old playbook—intimidation, coercion, and sabotage.”
Abdullahi alleged that former state chairmen and top officials of the ADC from the North-East and North-West had been invited to clandestine meetings by senior aides of the Tinubu government under the guise of consultation. However, intelligence reports suggest the real aim is to infiltrate the coalition and discredit its leadership.
“This is not politics. This is sabotage,” Abdullahi said. “The government is not interested in national security or peacebuilding. The sole aim of these secret meetings is to sow discord within our ranks and derail the momentum of a credible opposition.”
The ADC spokesman warned that such efforts could erode Nigeria’s fragile democracy and lead the country down the path of one-party rule.
“This is how democracies collapse—through intimidation masked as dialogue. The ADC and the Coalition represent the hopes of Nigerians who are fed up with lies, manipulation, and hardship. We won’t allow a few desperate actors to destroy that hope.”
He urged President Tinubu to call his appointees to order and demonstrate true democratic leadership.
“If the Goodluck Jonathan administration had acted with this level of intolerance, there would have been no APC victory in 2015—and Tinubu himself would not be President today,” he added.
The ADC reaffirmed its commitment to a broad-based opposition platform and vowed to resist any attempt to derail Nigeria’s multi-party system using all lawful and democratic means.