At the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee meeting on Friday, President Bola Tinubu derided the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “coalition of confusion” and urged APC leaders to delay internal congresses until December 2025—a bid, he said, to attract more defectors from rival parties.
Tinubu’s Jibe at Opposition
Speaking at the APC NEC conclave where Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda was inaugurated as national chairman, Tinubu quipped:
“It’s not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship and be absent from a coalition of confusion.”
The remark—widely interpreted as a reference to the ADC—aligns with earlier statements urging opponents to leave what he suggests is a failing political alliance.
APC’s Official Spin
APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, doubled down on the criticism, calling the ADC a grouping of “Nigeria’s most inept politicians” and accusing the coalition of magnifying internal turmoil by deflecting blame onto the APC. He claimed the ADC’s accusations of state sabotage and coercion were baseless and symptomatic of self-destruction.
Investigative & Political Background
Rising Coalition Amid Internal Chaos
The ADC, under the leadership of Ralph Nwosu and interim leaders like David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, was adopted in early July as the official platform for opposition heavyweights such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. The coalition aims to challenge APC’s stronghold come 2027.
Yet analysts warn the coalition’s unity is fragile—struggling over candidate zoning, leadership dynamics, and compatibility among its members. Some have warned it could collapse under its own internal confusion before it even mounts a serious challenge.
Resistance and Rebuttal
ADC responded with sharp rhetoric, alleging that the federal government is quietly plotting to destabilise its leadership through coercion and co-option of state-level officials. The opposition party called out these alleged tactics as anti-democratic and condemned Tinubu’s allies for creating excuses to clamp down on dissent.
Allies Join the Mockery
Political allies in APC-controlled states have echoed Tinubu’s line. In Ondo State, APC representatives labeled the ADC coalition a band of “attention seekers and noisemakers” doomed to fail against APC’s machine, while grassroots movements in other states dismissed the coalition as politically irrelevant.
Investigative & Human‑Interest Angle
Contradictions in Strategy
The leadership’s push to postpone APC congresses until December reflects an ambitious strategy: leverage defections from the ADC-led initiative to consolidate power. While Tinubu positions the ADC as the disorganized alternative, the coalition continues to expand its appeal among opposition circles—creating a contrast between order and claimed chaos.
Democracy at Stake
The clash raises critical issues: Was Tinubu’s remark a calculated call for unity or a dismissive attempt to delegitimize an emergent opposition? Could poor coordination within ADC undermine democracy’s p
romise of choice? And who benefits when dissent is recast as confusion?
In branding the ADC a “coalition of confusion,” Tinubu and the APC have sharpened the rhetorical line between the ruling party’s confidence and opposition’s perceived disorder. But beneath the jabs lies a deeper test of Nigeria’s democratic resilience: will the coalition hold, reform, and challenge the status quo—or implode before election day?
