The presidency has made it known that it is not perturbed about the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition as it foresees its implosion within the next six months due to a lack of ideology.
Speaking in an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said the Vice-Presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 elections, Datti Baba-Ahmed, had already sensed the looming crisis.
Bwala dismissed any threat from the ADC, saying the coalition had been unable to present alternative policies that could convince Nigerians to vote for them.
The Presidential aide said: “What I still find intriguing is that this coalition of internally displaced politicians has not been able to summon the courage to come up with alternative facts, alternative policies, or alternative programmes.
“Throughout the interview you had with Peter Obi, what I observed is that he has not been able to counter or disagree, in the real sense of the word, with the policies of the present government.
“They have not brought a single alternative policy to the table. All they do is criticise and issue press statements. The truth is, they lack vision and have not shown Nigerians they truly care.”
Speaking further, Bwala dismissed the opposition leaders’ threat to Tinubu’s presidency, saying the newly-established alliance is unstable and unlikely to endure beyond six months.
His words: “All this fantasy of coalition — we all know that once there is a phenomenon like that, we are going to have a good two to three weeks of romanticising: ‘we have ideas, we can do this.
“But one of them, his name is Datti (Baba-Ahmed), has already sensed the danger ahead and said the problem of this coalition will be who becomes the president. Because right now, I’m quoting him, ‘everybody wants to be president.’
“After one month, when they sit down, I am telling you on my honour, in the next six months, that coalition will not even be a conversation. They will scatter.”
Also, in a veiled reference to the current political situation in the country, following the formation of a coalition under the ADC, the federal government, yesterday, affirmed the right of all Nigerians to freely exercise their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of association and speech.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who stated this, declared that the government of President Bola Tinubu will not be sidetracked by politicking and political distractions.
Specifically, he said emerging coalitions and opposition political groupings do not want a sustained focus on the progress Nigeria was making. Idris said: “The administration, however, refuses to be drawn into distractions engineered by those who would prefer stagnation.
“The government of President Bola Tinubu remains firmly committed to its core mandate of delivering meaningful reforms and real economic growth for the Nigerian people.”
This came amid ongoing political discourse and increasing media speculation regarding the 2027 elections in the country.
Idris, in a statement, said: “Even as we affirm the right of all Nigerians to freely exercise their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of association and of speech, it is also important to underscore that President Tinubu’s administration will not be sidetracked by politicking or political distractions.
“The clamour in the media about the emergence of a new political ‘coalition’ is understandable, but Nigerians entrusted President Tinubu with a bold and transformative mandate, anchored in the Renewed Hope agenda.
“In just two years, this vision has already begun yielding tangible results. Crude oil theft has plummeted, investor confidence in the oil and gas sector is rebounding, inflation is easing, the Naira is stabilizing, security challenges are being confronted head-on, and millions of Nigerians—households, students, artisans, small business owners—are benefitting from initiatives such as student loans, access to consumer credit, CNG vehicle conversions, and improved government services and infrastructure.
“Two weeks ago, the President signed four ground-breaking tax reform bills into law, marking one of the most ambitious fiscal overhauls in Nigeria’s history. Set to be implemented from 2026, these reforms are expected to significantly boost prosperity for households and businesses nationwide.
“Just before then, the President commissioned the single largest mechanisation drive ever undertaken in Nigeria’s history, marking the launch of the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme. This is just one of several high-impact agricultural mechanisation programmes being undertaken to guarantee food security.
“Not surprisingly, emerging coalitions and opposition political groupings do not want a sustained focus on the progress Nigeria is making. The administration, however, refuses to be drawn into distractions engineered by those who would prefer stagnation over reform. ‘The Tinubu administration remains undeterred, focused, and committed to building a more prosperous Nigeria for all.”
