UPDATED: Presidency slams Buhari’s appointees for joining opposition coalition

The Presidency has launched a scathing attack on former President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointees who have joined the opposition coalition plotting to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to President Tinubu on media and strategy, criticised the individuals for their alleged personal ambitions and lack of ideology.

Some of those mentioned by Mr Onanuga include:

– Rotimi Amaechi: a former transportation minister and APC stalwart, who Mr Onanuga claimed “lost interest” in the party after losing the presidential primary to Mr Tinubu in 2022.

– Abubakar Malami: a former attorney-general, who Mr Onanuga said had been estranged from the APC since Mr Tinubu assumed leadership and since he (Malami) lost the governorship bid in Kebbi.

– Hadi Sirika: a former aviation minister facing trial for contract splitting and other allegations, which Mr Onanuga claimed compromised his integrity.

– Rauf Aregbesola: a former governor and internal affairs minister under Mr Buhari, who Mr Onanuga said was expelled from the APC for anti-party conduct during the last Osun election.

In his late Wednesday post on Facebook, Mr Onanuga told Nigerians to be cautious of the opposition coalition, describing it as a group of “desperados” united only by their hatred for Mr Tinubu.

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He predicted that the coalition would soon unravel due to the individuals’ irreconcilable personal and political ambitions.

The presidency’s attack on Mr Buhari’s appointees highlights the deepening divisions within the APC and the growing opposition coalition’s efforts to challenge Mr Tinubu’s administration.

The criticism also underscores the intense political rivalry and jockeying ahead of the 2027 general elections.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that after months of meetings, a coalition of opposition politicians and some aggrieved members of the ruling APC adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a new platform to challenge Mr Tinubu in the 2027 election.

On Wednesday, the coalition appointed experienced politicians as interim leaders. These include former Senate President David Mark as National Chairperson, ex-Osun State Governor and former Tinubu ally Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, and former Minister of Youth and Sports Bolaji Abdullahi as spokesperson.

Keyamo mocks coalition

Like Mr Onanuga, APC leader and Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, said the transition of the coalition into the ADC has only strengthened the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

“By law, you cannot operate from, or belong to, two or multiple political parties, so it is safe to say that their open declaration for ADC today is a clear abandonment of their previous parties,” Mr Keyamo wrote on X. “In fact, belonging to two political parties is a ground for disqualification in an election. Therefore, the emergence of ADC as presently constituted marks the formal dismemberment of the PDP, hitherto Nigeria’s strongest opposition Party.”

The coalition is mostly composed of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and some APC members.

The opposition coalition includes prominent politicians such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Abubakar Malami, and others — a diverse lineup drawn from various political backgrounds and regions.

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“No matter how you look at it, this is just Atiku’s faction of PDP in desperate search for the 2027 Presidential ticket – nothing more, nothing less,” Mr Keyamo said, adding that their movement takes nothing away from the APC. “It is better for the APC because it is just a case of totally extracting the germ that was eating the cola nut from within.”

Coalition politics is not new to Nigeria. The APC itself was born from a merger of opposition parties in 2013, culminating in its historic victory over the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015. Observers said the current realignment could mark another turning point.

As the 2027 elections approach, the opposition’s adoption of the ADC — and the high-level appointments that come with it — could reshape the country’s political dynamics and intensify the contest for power.

However, Mr Keyamo believes that the coalition is just another dust waiting to settle. “The person whom the old, cunning guards want to take for a ride in all of this is Peter Obi. They want his votes, but don’t want to give him their Presidential ticket, because this is Atiku’s show simpliciter. That is why David Mark is the interim Chairman. Those who know politics know what I am saying. But if you do not give Peter Obi the Presidential ticket, you lose his supporters. It is as simple as that. And how can you make someone who won two regions in the last election (South-East and South-South) a running mate to the person who won only one region (North-East)?”

“Therefore, when the dust settles, you will discover that PDP and the Labour Party have lost something, the ADC have only gained something like a caricature, but the APC has lost ABSOLUTELY nothing.”