ABUJA, Nigeria — The All Progressives Congress (APC) has sharply criticised the newly launched African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, dismissing the high-profile opposition alliance as an “empty spectacle” driven by political desperation and personal ambition.
In a scathing statement issued on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Felix Morka, the APC’s national publicity secretary, derided the coalition’s unveiling event in Abuja as “a gasping whimper” rather than the political “roar” its promoters had promised.
“It was nothing more than a roll call of Nigeria’s me-or-nothing politicians,” Morka said, adding that the gathering was “a hollow display of desperation and self-interest masquerading as a national movement.”
The ADC coalition, unveiled on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, featured a lineup of prominent political figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Senate President David Mark, ex-ministers, and party chieftains from across Nigeria’s political spectrum.
Senator Mark was named interim national chairman of the coalition, while former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola was appointed interim national secretary.
But the APC rejected the coalition’s credibility, accusing its leaders of being “hoaxers and self-obsessed merchants of vendetta” who offered no clear policy direction or philosophical grounding.
“Not surprisingly, the speech delivered by Senator David Mark… was disgracefully vacant, without substance or purpose, nothing but stitches of untruths, diatribe, and regurgitated and baseless allegations against the APC-led administration,” Morka said.
He claimed that rather than offering Nigerians an alternative vision for the future, the coalition merely signalled a return to politics of patronage.
“What value does the coalition bring to Nigerians? Why should any Nigerian be concerned about a coalition of a bunch of egotistical maniacs for whom power and patronage are the oxygen on which their lives depend?” he asked.
Morka defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, listing what he described as “transformative achievements,” including:
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A 3.4 percent GDP growth rate
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Foreign reserves increase from $4 billion to over $24 billion
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A drop in the debt service-to-revenue ratio from 99 percent to 40 percent
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Reduction in inflation from 31 percent to 22 percent
He also cited progress in the foreign exchange market, rising oil exports, improved federal allocations to states, and ongoing social investment schemes, including student loan programmes, educational stability, transport infrastructure upgrades, and healthcare reforms.
“President Tinubu has remained focused while opposition elements wallow in mudslinging,” Morka said.
“The APC will not be distracted by a coalition of noise but will continue to build a stronger, enduring, and more prosperous nation.”
Meanwhile, internal dissent appears to be brewing within the ADC itself.
On Thursday, July 3, 2025, Leke Abejide, a member of the House of Representatives and an influential ADC figure, dismissed the coalition as doomed to fail.
Appearing on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, Abejide described himself as the “face and financier” of the ADC and expressed disapproval of the coalition’s direction.
“This coalition is bound to collapse,” he said, without elaborating on whether he would remain with the party.
