Former member of the presidential campaign communication committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Bakare has said African Democratic Congress (ADC) does not have the requirements to be called a coalition party, citing that previous coalition involved two full-fledged parties with structures on ground.
He said this during an interview with ARISENEWS on Monday, where he was addressing the opposition coalition under the umbrella of the ADC, aiming to unseat President Tinubu in 2027 general elections.
He said, “Let me take us back to what is called a coalition. If I take us back to 1959, to be exact, when we had a coalition, the coalition was NPC and NCNC. The NPC came up with the Prime Minister, who was Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
“The NCNC came up with the President, that was Nnamdi Azikiwe. A little further down the line, in 1964, there was another coalition. This time around, it was between the NPC and the NNDP. These are coalitions we’ve been having in our system, that is why I said it is part of the dynamics of politics. But what I would like to drive, what I would like to tell the average Nigerian is this. NPC was a full-fledged political party with structures on ground.”
He explained, “But fellow Nigerians, what we are looking at right now is a coalition of people and not parties. Let me tell my people some unspoken truth. For you to belong into an estate, you have to own a house in that estate.
“Little wonder the coalitions we’ve had before were parties that made up the coalition, not just people. So basically, this coalition, good as it may sound, does not have the basis to be a coalition. Because the estate that is called a coalition, they don’t even have what it takes.”
Bakare addressed challenges in ADC’s current structure that could lead to its collapse, critiquing key figures involved in the party. He said, “Let’s not sugarcoat it, there’s an element of tenable litigation with some members of the party. People are out here saying, ‘Oh, there’s nothing wrong,’ but let’s ask ourselves the factual question is Ralph Nwosu, as we speak, legally the chairman of the ADC? The answer is no. I repeat, the answer is no.
“The kind of people involved in this coalition. Let’s start with Atiku. Atiku, you’re my elder brother greetings to you but the average Nigerian is asking, you’ve been at this for years. What exactly are you bringing to the table?’
“If I were to answer that, I’d point straight to Obasanjo. While you served as Vice President, OBJ made some scathing remarks about your role in his book, My Watch. You never contested those remarks. In law, that’s quietude for accusation. You didn’t speak up, which speaks volumes. And now you’re saying you’re ready to lead again? The answer is no.”
He went further to say, “let’s talk about my kid brother, Peter Obi. He’s a nice guy, a good guy, a young man with a solid perspective. He has what it takes, but let’s be honest, his own people, people who knew him while he was governor of Anambra State, didn’t always speak well of him. Yes, he did well with the Labour Party, he made impact. But right now? We’re at a crossroads. That’s the truth.”
Boluwatife Oyaniyi
Follow us on:
