From Victor Osula, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised the alarm over what it described as a “desperate and dangerous plot” by elements within President Bola Tinubu’s administration to undermine the growing opposition coalition in the country.
In a statement issued on Monday, the ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that former state chairmen and key executive members of the party from the North-East and North-West zones had been summoned to a secret meeting with top federal government officials.
“We have credible intelligence that the purported purpose of this meeting is not related to national security or peacebuilding. Rather, it is intended to intimidate, coerce, and possibly co-opt these officials into a scheme designed to sabotage the opposition coalition. This is not politics; this is outright sabotage,” Abdullahi said.
He claimed that the meeting is part of a coordinated plan to sow discord within the party, delegitimise its leadership, and halt the momentum of the ADC, which he described as the “new face of opposition in Nigeria.”
“Such clandestine engagements between federal government appointees and ADC state chairpersons—at a time when the nation faces serious security challenges—amount to a brazen assault on Nigeria’s multiparty democracy. This is how one-party states emerge: through intimidation and subversion,” he added.
Abdullahi accused the Tinubu administration of using underhanded tactics instead of engaging with the opposition through democratic means, noting that the government’s intolerance is a sign of its dwindling popularity.
“It is now evident that the Tinubu government, having lost the confidence of the Nigerian people, cannot withstand a united and credible opposition. Instead of addressing national issues, it has resorted to the old tactics of destabilising political opponents,” he alleged.
He said the ADC remains committed to restoring decency, vision, and justice to governance and described the opposition coalition as a beacon of hope for Nigerians “exhausted by lies, manipulation, and hardship.”
“We will not allow a handful of desperate individuals to turn Nigeria into a one-party dictatorship. It is our patriotic duty to resist such threats with every democratic tool available.
“We urge President Tinubu to call his appointees to order. He must show he is a true democrat. If former President Goodluck Jonathan had been this intolerant of opposition in 2015, there would be no APC government today,” Abdullahi said.
Meanwhile, fresh trouble is brewing within the ADC as three aggrieved members have filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to sack the Senator David Mark-led interim leadership of the party.
The plaintiffs—Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Victor Tolu, and Haruna Ismaila—are asking the court to determine whether the appointment of the new interim leadership is in breach of the ADC’s constitution and a subsisting judgment.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1328/2024, they are challenging the legality of the appointments of Senator David Mark as Interim National Chairman, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as Interim National Secretary, and ex-Minister of Sports Bolaji Abdullahi as Interim National Publicity Secretary.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the handover of the party’s leadership to individuals involved in a merger violates a judgment delivered in 2022; whether the party’s constitution permits interim leadership positions; whether the appointments were made in accordance with the ADC Constitution (2018 as amended); whether the interim leaders were properly registered members of the party at the time of their appointment; whether the 2nd defendant (INEC) can legally recognise the interim appointments.
They are seeking a declaration that the appointments are unconstitutional, unlawful, and null and void.
The ADC is listed as the 1st defendant in the case. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and immediate past ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, are the 2nd and 3rd defendants. Senator David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, and Bolaji Abdullahi are the 4th, 5th, and 6th defendants, respectively.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case
