The African Democratic Congress’s (ADC) national publicity secretary is Bolaji Abdullahi. CHIBUIKE CHUKWU discusses a number of topics in this interview, including the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) shortcomings, the ADC’s strategy for the general elections in 2027, and the continuous rush to join the coalition opposition party. excerpts.
The party has gained widespread acceptance across the nation since the coalition ADC joined, with some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) reportedly associating with it. What do you believe to be the cause of this?
The fact that Nigerians realized they no longer wanted this APC is the only explanation, really. They are aware of the suffering that the current administration has inflicted upon them. Since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been destabilized and is essentially dead, Nigerians have realized that all of these problems are related to the present APC government, but they haven’t been able to identify an alternative. All of their governors have departed, and more could follow. For the time being, I don’t think people who have departed have any prospect of returning. Thus, the populace believed they had no other option. Every Nigerian who had grown weary of the path the APC was traveling and continues to do so was relieved when the ADC arrived. Thus, what you observe in the nation—that is, the shift to ADC—is a manifestation of two things: first, the rejection of APC, and second, the possibility of an alternative. That explains the surge we are witnessing into the party, and I can assure you that it will continue because Nigerians are suffering greatly under the current administration. The narrative is consistent across the nation, since the APC has not been able to address the issue that they caused.
A large number of Nigerians thought that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not hold free and fair elections in 2023 and that the process was opaque. Given the rush into the coalition and the fact that the 2027 election will be overseen by the same INEC, what is the party doing to ensure that the votes will count in 2027 and that the person chosen by the voters at the various polling places will be proclaimed the victor?
Getting people to cast their ballots is going to be our largest obstacle. How can we persuade people to cast ballots? Assuring individuals that their votes will count is the only way we can persuade them to cast ballots. Understand what I mean? People tell themselves that no matter what we do, these people will still write the results after looking at the most recent election and their previous votes. As a result, the situation is extremely risky. Therefore, one of our biggest challenges is to keep pushing for electoral change. Additionally, the automatic transmission of polling station results must be the foundation of that electoral reform. That’s how it is, then. You will therefore see a lot of action from us on this issue because we are aware that, God forbid, we will plunge the nation into a catastrophe if this government forbids a free and fair election. All hands must be on deck because a major problem could arise if you read that people are aware that they did not vote for you. Therefore, it is clear from all signs that this government is made up of individuals who are not familiar with following the law. We will keep putting pressure on INEC to uphold the constitution, honor popular will, and refrain from acting as a tool to impede this nation’s advancement. INEC ought to understand that their mandate is to serve this nation’s interests.
Nigerians have a legitimate concern about zoning and personal goals in the ADC coalition. Many Nigerians think that the party may implode as a result of concerns like where the ADC would zone their presidential ticket. Therefore, is there a way for the party to prevent any crisis from arising from this and ensure that everyone would support the presidential candidate regardless of where he comes from?
Allowing a free and transparent electoral process within our own party is the greatest way for us to deal with the problem—that is, the way we intend to deal with it. No one will be asked to withdraw on our behalf. There isn’t a set agenda for us. We don’t have a favorite applicant. We wish to provide members the freedom to choose who will represent the party. While we are aware that many political parties may or may not have a pre-selected candidate that everyone would support, ADC will not follow suit. We will let the candidate come through the procedure. For this reason, we are not discussing the areas where we will and won’t zone the president. No one in ADC is talking about that. As I previously stated, our internal election will be as transparent as anticipated, and I can guarantee that whoever is chosen to represent the party will be accepted by all as it will be obvious to everyone.
The PDP’s issue in 2023 resulted from their failure to zone their ticket to the south due to noncompliance with zoning regulations. Thanks to Tinubu, South will serve for four years. In order to guarantee that the zone lasts for an additional four years, is it not appropriate for the ADC to zone their ticket to the south?
No, as I previously stated, ADC is not currently having that talk. Our party is new. Our party’s construction is our main priority. We will cross the bridge when we reach it. When it comes time to make a decision about presidential candidates, we will act. Now, we won’t disclose to anyone that this is the area in which we will focus our presidential campaign. Building the party is our first goal. Our current priorities are unrelated to zoning to either side. Let’s first establish the party and then unite. We must establish a system that Nigerians can trust and believe in if they wish to join our party. Thus, that is our top priority right now. Naturally, we may return and continue the conversation when we have more time and are ready to decide how to handle this problem you have brought up.
The APC has repeatedly stated that some members of the coalition are upset since they were not appointed to any positions in the current administration. How would you rank this government in light of that? How would you interpret such a story?
You cannot claim that everyone in ADC is upset because they were not given a position in Tinibu’s administration. Did they initially anticipate receiving an appointment from Tinubu’s administration? Members of ADC come from various political parties. Therefore, it’s okay if there are members of his party who had expectations. However, there are some who didn’t hold him to any standards. Additionally, some of the people who joined him are upset because they want to reach a point where 99% of people participate more, which is a valid worry for everyone. Therefore, it’s not about reading it cynically and saying, “Oh, it’s because they weren’t invited to the table or he lost out on power.” Are you implying that Chief John Oyegun, who is 86 years old, is upset today because he was not invited to join the ruling party for dinner? If they mean what they say, they are promoting the incorrect narrative. As I’ve said, Nigerians are suffering greatly, and while the government appears to be at a loss for solutions, they are attempting to unite the nation. Because they recognize the need to prevent the nation from plunging farther into despair, people are associating with the ADC.
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Which of the current government’s major shortcomings, in ADC’s opinion, will serve as the focus of their campaign? In other words, what areas do you believe the current APC government has failed on and on which the coalition ADC would base its campaign to persuade Nigerians ahead of the general elections in 2027? The party needs to explain to Nigerians what they will do differently from the APC government.
You understand what I mean because you live in Lagos. Is that not sufficient justification for a government to give up and declare that it is impossible to accomplish this? Look, they are the ones who caused the issue. The impact on the populace was not sufficiently considered when the president announced that gasoline subsidies would be eliminated. We are not discussing the idea of eliminating subsidies, which we reject. The reason for this is that they did not think it through enough to say, “This is what we are going to do, and there’s a reason why previous administrations have failed to do it.” Have we taken adequate precautions against the ensuing fallout? How will we address the impact on the populace? They then devalued the naira while they were still in power, and when you mix the two, you end up with a catastrophe. Nigeria’s willingness to devalue its currency that much even shocked the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Therefore, these are the two problems that led to the current crisis—by which I mean the immediate crisis resulting from the current disaster in which Nigeria finds itself. Additionally, we can discuss the problems of incompetence. To begin with, when discussing the core of the ADC, it has accomplished one goal. The culture of silence they imposed on this nation has been destroyed by us. That is the top priority. Second, we are giving the public alternatives. Nigeria was gradually becoming a one-party state prior to the arrival of ADC. Thus, that has been stopped by the arrival of ADC. Thirdly, when they say that they want to save Nigeria, they mean to go back in time. However, if something is on the brink of a cliff, wouldn’t you reset it and go back in time? We are saying that we need to take a step back and examine ourselves because they have driven the nation and the Nigerian people to the brink. Ask every Nigerian—and I can ask you, too—if we haven’t suffered enough because of the policies this government has implemented. Nigerians haven’t merely ended up where they are. We pay 1,000 Naira for a litre of petrol, 1,500, and 1,600 for a dollar, and you claim that it is not a problem, despite the fact that we are suffering greatly today. Is that the cost we must incur in order to improve Nigeria? Has this government informed you of the length of our suffering? Has it shown to anyone how our suffering will ultimately end? What precisely are we paying for, then? For what precisely are we suffering? They claim to have eliminated the fuel subsidy. The amount of money we are spending on subsidies appears to be absurd. Is that not the case? Where is the money? For what purpose are they employed? Again, where is the money? They will tell you that the states are receiving greater funding as a result, but this is untrue. Because of the devaluation of the Naira, they are providing the state with a larger budget. It’s a financial delusion. Since they are giving the same amount and using the same dollar word, it is illusory. Because of the devaluation, you lose a lot of money when you convert it to Naira. So, where is this money? They claim to be working on infrastructure development. In what ways has this infrastructure enhanced people’s quality of life? According to ADC, Nigeria must be able to enter a hospital, see drugs, and ask, “Well, where is this free drug coming from?” if they hope to persuade us that they are truly acting morally. “Oh, it’s from subsidy,” they then say. Is that not the case? What precisely are we suffering for, therefore, if we don’t discover it? The question that ADC is posing is that. For what reason are we suffering? Why are Nigerians being penalized for the depreciation of the naira and the elimination of subsidies? And from what source will the light originate? Is the end of the tunnel in sight? From where will this light originate? Less than two years remain for them. Elections will begin the next year. That’s the end by the time next year’s elections begin. When will we benefit from this suffering, then? They will also claim that it’s a long process and that any decent policy would inevitably have difficulties. The government is being quite dishonest about that. Given that we don’t even know what they are doing, why should we reward them and give them another four years? Given the amount of misery and adversity Nigerians are, to be honest, going through, it will be terrible to have them for another four years. Nigerians are flocking to the ADC because they perceive it as a superior option to the APC.
How do you feel about the proposed tax reform? The government has at least received praise for the bill’s creation.
for developing the bill for tax reform. After all, no one is berating them for it. Tax reform is beneficial and required. But what matters is not the tax change. This is how people’s quality of life will improve as a result of higher tax inflation. If the people’s quality of life is not improved, more funding for the government is pointless. The bottom line is that. Additionally, what impact does tax reform have on the average citizen? How can a lady in Oshodi who is having trouble providing for her kids benefit from tax reform? What does it mean to a single youngster to earn 35,000 Naira? These days, 35,000 Naira is hardly more than 3,000 Naira. What money can buy is money. What does tax reform mean before we introduce it here? What does it signify?
As a former minister of sports, are you okay with the National Sports Commission taking the place of the sports ministry entirely?
Yes, it has advantages of its own. It permits adaptability. It makes more continuity possible. The rotation of sports ministers over time is one of the issues facing the sport industry. I was one of the longest-serving ministers of sports for around three years. That is insufficient. For instance, it would be impossible to adequately prepare for an Olympic Games in four years if we began training today for the Tokyo Olympics. Preparing athletes for the Olympics likely takes eight years. Therefore, you can’t really make any plans when you have ministers who don’t work for up to two years. Therefore, having a director general with a term that can be extended beyond eight years on a sports commission indicates that he is capable of creating and carrying out a strategy. That is its advantage. One drawback is that neither the chairman nor the director general of the National Sports Commission is a member of the cabinet. Therefore, the Federal Executive Council does not have a seat for sports. That, then, is its disadvantage. However, it is unclear if the benefits or merits outweigh the drawbacks.
