According to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) alliance, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is attempting to emulate the successful 2013 merger that gave rise to the ruling party.
Dismissing the coalition, the APC maintained that the current arrangement could not be compared to a strategic political merger that occurred in 2013, when the APC was formed by the union of the late Muhammadu Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change, Atiku Abubakar’s New PDP, and the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, led by Bola Tinubu.
Ijeoma Arodiogbu, the National Vice Chairman of the APC (South-East), called the alliance “a coalition of strange bedfellows” in an interview with Punch, saying it lacked the depth, structure, and strategy that helped the APC come to power more than ten years ago.
Why is it that people relocating to the ADC should worry us? Identify these folks for me. There is no reason for concern, he continued, unless our senior leaders, APC governors, or parliamentarians are defecting.
He maintained that Tinubu’s years of political mentoring and the formation of strategic alliances, supported by Buhari’s tremendous appeal in the north with over 12 million devoted supporters, were what made the 2013 merger so strong.
He claimed that the ADC, on the other hand, was just a collection of disgruntled politicians who lacked an electoral basis or ideological ties.
All they’re doing is trying to replicate our actions. Throughout the nation, Tinubu cultivated and built individuals. His reputation and foresight drew the attention of legislators and governors. Their current actions are desperate attempts to seize power rather than strategic,” Arodiogbu stated.
“The majority of those joining the ADC are internally displaced politicians from the PDP and Labour Party who were unable to find purpose in their previous platforms,” he added.
In contrast, the APC is becoming more and more governors and lawmakers every day. More people are openly expressing their support for us, even on the parliamentary floor.
The APC leader also disparaged Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, implying that his support for the ADC was motivated by personal grievances about being left out of Tinubu’s cabinet.
Read Also: ANAP Urges Keyamo to Appoint Boards for Aviation Agencies
“Should we even be talking about people like El-Rufai?” he asked. His sole complaint is that he was not appointed as a minister. That is entitlement rather than ideology. Who else is worth our attention in that coalition besides him?
In addition, Arodiogbu emphasized Tinubu’s economic vision and reform plan, emphasizing the President’s continued commitment to redressing historical abuses and safeguarding Nigeria’s financial future.
“We can’t keep doing things the same way,” President Tinubu stated when he took office. His main goal is to get rid of waste and leaks. We differ from others posing as an alternative because of that,” he said.
