The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has chided President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga for alleging an attempt by the opposition coalition to “overthrow” the Tinubu government before 2027.
In a reaction on Wednesday by the spokesman of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party decribed the allegation by Onanuga, which he made in a tweet, as irresponsible.
“While we consider this tweet as reckless and malicious, we also believe it is a lot more than that. If anything, it potentially lays the grounds for systematic clampdown on opposition leaders,” Abdullahi stated.
The opposition coalition warned that such reckless and unsubstantiated claim signals a broader campaign of intimidation and repression against political opposition leaders by the Tinubu administration.
“Bayo Onanuga’s tweet is a textbook example of a political dog whistle. The APC-led federal government appears to be constructing a false narrative that is designed to justify potential clampdown on dissent, and to criminalise legitimate opposition activity under the guise of national security.
“The ADC is not interested in truncating democracy, we are solely committed to saving the nation from the irredeemable incompetence of this government.
“And the only means available to us is the democratic means. We are not soldiers, we are politicians. We don’t have bullets; we only have the ballots.
“When the time comes, we will only present our solutions and an alternative vision of the future to the Nigerian people and leave them to make their choice.”
The new opposition group wondered why the APC government is so jittery that it is so eager to betray its own heritage.
“APC is the first opposition party to come to power in Nigeria. It is therefore a great wonder that the same party now appears to find it strange that there is an opposition at all.”
The ADC called on President Tinubu to promptly caution his aides from further baseless but dangerous allegations that have the potential to heat up the system even two years ahead of the next election.
“This manner of crying wolf where there is none does not make the president look good and only betrays a sense of panic.
“We also call on the Nigerian people to be vigilant and discerning, and to reject the underhand tactics being deployed to delegitimise the opposition and silence alternative voices. The health of our democracy depends on a free, open, and competitive political environment,” the party added.
The coalition also called on the international community, democratic governments all over the world, international observers, and human rights organisations, to closely monitor the unfolding political environment in Nigeria.
“We call on them to hold the Tinubu administration accountable for any actions that undermine democratic freedoms or violate the political rights of Nigerian citizens. The ADC remains committed to building a better Nigeria, through peace, participation, and the power of the people,” the party declared.
