News
ADC’s Problem Is ADC — Not APC, Says Azu Ishiekwene
ADC’s Problem Is ADC — Not APC, Says Azu Ishiekwene
ADC’s problem is ADC — not APC, says Azu Ishiekwene. This is the last thing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) wants to hear, but it has to be said, even if the party digs its thumbs in its ear. It began with the party’s delayed registration.
When things were not moving as quickly as the early defectors, mostly from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had expected, they accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of stalling the registration and of using the Ralph Okey Nwosu-led faction to stoke the delay.
The party was eventually registered in June. But that didn’t end the beef. As the PDP crumbled and many of its members, especially the governors, defected, the ADC accused the APC of coaxing, bribing or blackmailing them to turn Nigeria into a de facto one-party state.
That was after their failed argument that whether all the governors in Nigeria defected to the APC or not, it would still not save the ruling party from a damning voter’s verdict next year because of its poor record.
Advertisement
The latest argument is that the APC is about to use the playbook it used to destabilise the Labour Party and the PDP against ADC: plant a leader to weaken it, break it up, and factionalise it.
A statement by the party on Monday accused the ruling party of planning to use the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise an expelled member of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, as the ADC national chairman.
Why? “To ensure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerges unopposed as the only serious candidate on the ballot in 2027.”
I don’t know what other conspiracy the ADC might find before the next market day, but I think the party is its own biggest problem. If it continues this way, before the APC kills it, it will be long dead, and on its grave would be the epitaph: here lies the remains of a party that thought it would get power à la carte!
How not to take power
Power is not given. It is taken, even seized, through planning, organisation, and action. The ADC was not formed to last, the way you build a house from the ground up, brick by brick, patiently working every stage, and following a pattern. It’s mainly a coalition of the aggrieved, desperate for power, after some of the principal actors in the ADC damaged and abandoned the PDP.
We know more about the presidential ambitions of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi than we know about what the party really stands for.
Recently in Benin, Edo State, there was a spat between Odigie Oyegun and Rowland Owie, both octogenarian political stalwarts-turned-ADC, over whether the South-South should back Amaechi or Atiku, with Obi’s supporters smarting in the corner. There’s more being said and done to secure the presidential ticket for any of the three than we know about efforts to build the party. In what has become a crude reversal of the core principle of the political party as an institution, parties have become disposable paper wraps, and defection a con art.
An inconvenient history
The fate of political parties in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic tells a concerning story.
Between 1999 and 2015, when the PDP was at its peak, the party still managed to share the political spoils in a manner that gave democracy a future and a promise. President Olusegun Obasanjo had won the presidential election with 62.78 percent of the vote, an absolute majority that knocked out Olu Falae, his challenger, who was the consensus candidate of the All Peoples Party (APP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
The PDP controlled 21 of 36 states, while the APP and AD controlled 9 and 6 states, respectively. PDP also secured 59 of the 109 senatorial seats and 206 of the 360 House of Representatives seats back then. It must therefore be a wonder to political historians that in less than 27 years of being such a formidable organisation, the PDP has become difficult to find, even if only to be mummified as a carcass.
The question, What happened, finds a lazy but convenient answer in blaming Tinubu, even though the worm eating up the opposition is inside the opposition.
After the 2023 general elections, the PDP – the wreckage from which many ADC members emerged – had won 10 governorship seats: Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Delta, Enugu, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, and Zamfara, with the 11th being Bayelsa in the off-cycle elections. These were enough to give the party a fighting chance, if its leaders were serious.
The three main legacy parties of the APC (ACN, CPC, and ANPP), which defeated the PDP in 2015 with a helping hand from PDP defector-governors, controlled only 11 states. In fact, after the 2003 election, Lagos was the only AD state in the South West, the other five consumed by the PDP.
At the last count, however, the PDP had lost its former traditional strongholds in the South-south, South-east, and North-central to a gale of defections. Governors with one eye on re-election and others seeking the lucrative retirement to the Senate have almost entirely bailed out from the PDP like paratroopers from a falling aircraft.
Discover more
Business news reports
Online news platform
Nigerian history books
Cybersecurity software
Legal services consultation
In a cruel reversal of fate, the party is the victim of the bad example it set in political brinkmanship, where there are no consequences for defectors who join or leave the party, taking their seats with them. Of the 11 governors as of May 2023, only two – Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo – remain in the PDP faction.
ADC’s Problem Is ADC
Mohammed, who had made a spirited effort to draft former President Goodluck Jonathan into the 2027 presidential race, watched his dream collapse while the party unravelled under a maze of litigations, defections and turf wars. And rumour has it that Bala is on the verge of leaving whatever may be left of the PDP’s umbrella with Makinde any time soon.
Watching the optics
The optics across Nigeria point broadly at a singular outcome in next year’s general elections – a victory lap for the ruling APC. Not because of a sterling record of performance, but because the opposition, especially the ADC, has paved the way by making itself not an alternative platform for change, but a place where a few desperate politicians lock horns for power.
I laugh whenever the ADC calls itself an opposition party. It is almost an opposition. You will be shocked to learn that a leading ADC figure is willingly prostituting himself to the APC top hierarchy to secure his endangered business interests.
Verdict of history
In the end, the biggest opposition to the APC will be the APC. That’s the lesson of history. From Britain’s Conservative Party to the Indian National Congress, and from the African National Congress to the remnant of Nigeria’s PDP (which would soon adopt Tinubu as its candidate), history shows that ruling parties eventually decay and decline from within.
A combination of complacency, internal fragmentation, and failure to adapt to new demographics, or corruption and loss of moral authority, eventually catches up with and overwhelms them.
The APC’s case will not be different, not because of the noise being made by the ADC, but despite it.
Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book, Writing for Media and Monetising It.
Atiku Tells Tinubu: Stop Blaming Nigerians For Insecurity
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has knocked the President Bola Tinubu-led government over its handling of insecurity and economic hardship.
Eereporter.com
Atiku accused the Presidency of attempting to shift responsibility for the country’s worsening conditions onto the media and ordinary Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described as alarming recent remarks from the presidency suggesting that many kidnapping incidents occur because citizens ignore police warnings against travelling at night.
He argued that such reasoning amounted to an admission that Nigerians could only be safe for a limited part of the day.
“Is the presidency admitting that Nigerians can only be safe for a few hours of the day? Is this an official declaration that Africa’s largest economy has been reduced to an eight-hour economy where citizens must shut down their businesses, abandon legitimate travel, and retreat indoors once the sun sets?” Atiku asked.
Atiku said it was unacceptable for government officials to place the burden of security on citizens rather than on agencies responsible for protecting lives and property.
“The primary duty of any government is the protection of lives and property. Citizens do not surrender their freedoms in exchange for curfews imposed by fear,” he said.
He maintained that insecurity across the country was evident in the daily experiences of Nigerians and could not be dismissed as media exaggeration.
Atiku cited killings in Benue and Plateau states, bandit attacks in Zamfara, Katsina and Niger states, as well as recurring kidnappings and terrorism across several parts of the country.
“A trader travelling from Kano to Lagos, a businessman returning from Abuja to Kaduna, a farmer transporting produce to market, or a family embarking on a legitimate journey should not be blamed when criminals attack them. The blame belongs squarely where it should — on those charged with securing the country,” he said.
“A nation cannot prosper when its people are told that safety ends at sunset. Economies grow because people can move freely, trade freely, and conduct lawful activities without fear,” he stated.
Beyond insecurity, Atiku accused the administration of being disconnected from the economic realities facing Nigerians, saying hunger and hardship had become defining features of the current government.
According to him, rising food prices, worsening inflation, unemployment and declining purchasing power have left millions of families struggling to survive.
“The father who goes to bed wondering how to provide the next meal for his family does not need a newspaper report to confirm hardship,” he said.
He also faulted what he described as the presidency’s attempt to blame the media for highlighting insecurity and economic challenges, insisting that journalists were merely reporting realities already being experienced by citizens.
“Blaming journalists for reporting insecurity and hardship is like blaming a thermometer for a fever,” Atiku said.
He warned that governments lose credibility when they focus on managing narratives instead of addressing underlying problems.
Tinubu, Atiku
“Nigeria does not need explanations for suffering. Nigeria needs solutions. Nigeria does not need lectures about perception. Nigeria needs results,” he added.
The statement comes amid growing public concern over the rising cost of living and persistent security challenges across parts of the country, issues that have dominated national discourse since the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira by the Tinubu-led government.
Eereporter.com
EFCC to Arraign Bodejo For Alleged $2.530m Terrorism Financing, Money Laundering Offences
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is set to arraign Bello Abdullahi Bodejo before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over allegations bordering on terrorism financing and money laundering to the tune of $2.530 million.
Eereporter.com
The EFCC, on Monday, June 22, 2026 filed a twelve-count charge before the Federal High Court against Bodejo, alleging him of receiving and possessing large sums of cash in foreign currency linked to proceeds of unlawful activities in contravention of the Money Laundering( Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2011.
Bodejo, linked to Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, is expected to take his plea before the court in the coming days as the Commission commences formal proceedings.
Count one of the charges read: “That you, BELLO ABDULLAHI BODEJO (mele adult), on or about the 11th day of January 2022, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly and willfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a payment of the sum of One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD $100,000) in physical currency from one SA’IDU ABUBAKAR, a former Accountant-General Bauchi State who is currently in the lawful custody of the Nigerian Police Force, which exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of Five Million Naira GN5,000,000.00) prescribed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) without routing the said transaction through a financial institution as required by law, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.”
Count two reads: “That you, BELLO ABDULLAHI BODEIO (male adult), on or about the 21st day of January 2022, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly and willfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a payment of the sum of Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD $200,00) in physical currency from one SA’IDU ABUBAKAR, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State who is currently in the lawful custody of the Nigerian Police Force, which exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of Five Million Naira GN5,000,000.00) prescribed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), without routing the said transaction through a financial institution as required by law, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.”
Another count alleges that on March 20, 2024, Bodejo received $500,000 in physical cash from the same source, an amount said to have exceeded the legal cash transaction threshold prescribed under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Count four reads, “That you, BELLO ABDULLAHI BODEJO (male adult), on or about the 7th day of February 2024, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly and willfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a cash payment of the sum of Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $980,000.00) in physical currency from one SA’IDU ABUBAKAR, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State who is currently in the lawful custody of the Nigerian Police Force which sum exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of Five Million Naira (5,000,000.00) prescribed under Section 2(1)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, without routing the said transaction through a financial institution as required by law, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19(2 )(b) of the same Act.”
EFCC
According to count ten, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo allegedly took possession of $980,000 in Abuja on or about February 7, 2024, under circumstances in which he either knew, or reasonably ought to have known, that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity, specifically money laundering. The conduct allegedly constitutes an offence under Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and is punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
All the alleged offences are punishable under various provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Further proceedings are expected to follow as the Commission awaits the arraignment date.
Eereporter.com
ADC: Onanuga “No Hunger” Comments Reflect Tinubu’s Disconnection From Reality
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Tinubu administration of grave insensitivity, following comments by Presidential Spokesman Bayo Onanuga that he does not see the level of hunger and hardship being reported across the country.
Eereporter.com
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said Onanuga’s views reflect the dominant thinking in the Tinubu-led government, which it said confirms its long-standing position that the administration is disconnected from the reality faced by millions of ordinary Nigerians.
The full statement read:
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned recent comments by Presidential Spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, claiming that he does not see the level of hunger and hardship Nigerians are talking about. Those comments are not merely insensitive; they are a startling admission of how disconnected the APC government has become from the realities of the people it governs.
When over 80% of Nigerians are struggling to feed their families, pay school fees, afford transportation and keep their businesses alive, it is extraordinary that a senior presidential spokesman can publicly suggest that the hardship is somehow overstated or even contrived.
The truth is that Nigerians are not faking their suffering. The unprecedented cost-of-living crisis confronting the country today is the direct result of the ill-conceived and poorly executed economic policies of the Tinubu administration, which have thrown millions more into acute poverty since this government came to power. Food prices have soared, transportation costs have multiplied, the value of incomes and savings has been eroded, and millions of Nigerians who were managing before are now trapped in economic distress.
This is not opposition propaganda. It is the daily lived experience of ordinary Nigerians in every state of the federation.
What makes Mr. Onanuga’s comments particularly troubling is that they reveal a government that has become tragically insular and could no longer do anything differently. A sensible government does not measure the effects of its policies by merely looking at the people within its immediate circle or driving through paved roads.
It must listen to the people in the markets, on the farms, in the classrooms, in the workshops and in the streets. If the Presidency genuinely cannot see the hunger and hardship that Nigerians are talking about, then it raises serious questions about whether it sees the people at all.
The APC government will undoubtedly point to roads infrastructure projects as its achievements. While even this is debatable, the fact remains that Nigerians cannot eat roads.
The first responsibility of any government is to create economic conditions in which citizens can afford food, find jobs, run businesses and live with dignity. On this most fundamental test, the Tinubu administration has failed. After three years of promises, excuses and appeals for patience, the reality for 62% of Nigerians is that life is harder today than it was when this government took office.
The ADC believes that leadership begins with honesty. The question is no longer whether Nigerians are suffering; Nigerians already know that they are. The real question is whether this government is prepared to acknowledge the consequences of its policies and accept responsibility for its historic failures.
ADC
Until it does, comments such as those made by Mr. Onanuga will only reinforce the growing perception that the APC government is out of touch with the people and unwilling to confront the damage its economic policies have inflicted on ordinary Nigerians.
Eereporter.com
Signed:
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary, African Democratic Congress (ADC)
-
Crime1 year agoKogi Assembly Considers Law To Regulate Rent, Establish Control Board: Tenancy Law
-
News1 year agoAtiku Reveals Why He Failed To Pick Wike As Running Mate In 2023
-
Akwa Ibom1 year agoThe Apostolic Church Gets New Territorial Chairman, Exco
-
Crime1 year agoFederal High Court Jails 2 For Vandalizing Transformer, Telecom Mast In Kogi
-
News1 year agoThe Apostolic Church Gets New National President, Executive
-
Akwa Ibom1 year agoUmo Eno Commences Payment Of 80,000 Naira Minimum Wage With Arrears
-
News1 year agoSenator Natasha Returns To Senate With Husband Amid Seat Dispute
-
Economy1 year agoKiyosaki: Is Tinubu’s Government Afraid Of Ibrahim Traore?