The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of displaying intolerance toward opposition parties, claiming the APC is rattled by the ADC’s growing influence.
This comes after President Tinubu, while addressing the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Thursday, referred to the opposition coalition led by the ADC as a “coalition of confusion.”
Speaking exclusively to Vanguard, ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the president’s remarks reveal deep discomfort within the APC about the momentum the ADC has gathered.
“What exactly is there to address? How can the president of a democratic country speak of the opposition in such a way? It says a lot,” Abdullahi said.
During the NEC meeting held on July 24, 2025, Tinubu appeared to mock the ADC and its alliance with other opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
“It’s not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship and be absent from a coalition of confusion,” Tinubu said—a comment widely interpreted as an attempt to discredit the growing opposition coalition and discourage further defections.
In response, Abdullahi argued that such language reflects the APC’s inability to tolerate dissent or face robust political competition.
“This kind of language shows the APC’s clear intolerance for any opposition. They are unsettled, even angry, about the ADC’s rise—a party determined to stop their mission of turning Nigeria into a one-party state,” he said.
He added that years of weak opposition had allowed the APC to operate without proper scrutiny, but the ADC is now stepping into that void.
“For too long, the APC has enjoyed unchecked power. But now, the ADC has taken its place as a serious opposition force, and the APC is clearly worried,” he stated.
Abdullahi further claimed that President Tinubu is particularly uncomfortable with the ADC’s growing popularity and nationwide acceptance.
“President Tinubu is especially uncomfortable with the way the ADC is gaining ground and being accepted across the country,” he said.
With prominent opposition leaders like Atiku and Obi now rallying around the ADC platform, political tensions are rising in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections.
Despite the criticism, Abdullahi emphasized that the ADC remains committed to challenging APC dominance and providing Nigerians with a strong and credible alternative.
