Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, says the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition will implode within six months due to a dearth of ideology.
Speaking on Monday during an interview with newsmen, Bwala said Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, sensed the looming crisis.
On July 4, Baba-Ahmed said the battle for a presidential candidate could pose a major challenge for the ADC, warning that the “excitement” trailing the coalition should be managed and that citizens should not be “consumed” by it.
He added that unlike the current coalition, the 2013 All Progressives Congress (APC) alliance viewed former President Muhammadu Buhari as the “anointed” presidential candidate long before the primary election.
Baba-Ahmed said the opposition coalition must do the unthinkable to wrest power from Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Baba-Ahmed said he is open to joining the ADC coalition, adding that he aligns with its goals while remaining a member of LP.
However, Bwala dismissed any threat from the ADC, saying the group has been unable to present alternative policies capable of convincing Nigerians to vote for them.
“What I still find intriguing is that this coalition of internally displaced politicians has not been able to summon the courage to come up with alternative facts, alternative policies, or alternative programmes,” the presidential aide said.
“Throughout the interview you had with Peter Obi, what I observed is that he has not been able to counter or disagree — in the real sense of the word — with the policies.
“They have not brought a single alternative policy to the table. All they do is criticise and issue press statements. The truth is, they lack vision and have not shown Nigerians they truly care.”
Bwala dismissed the opposition leaders’ threat to Tinubu’s presidency, saying the newly established alliance is unstable and unlikely to endure beyond six months.
He said the struggle for who will emerge as flagbearer under the ADC will fragment the coalition and make the 2027 election easier for Tinubu.
“All this fantasy of coalition — we all know that once there is a phenomenon like that, we are going to have a good two to three weeks of romanticising: ‘we have ideas, we can do this,” he said.
“But one of them — his name is Datti (Baba-Ahmed) — has already sensed the danger ahead and said the problem of this coalition will be who becomes the president. Because right now — I’m quoting him — ‘everybody wants to be the president.’
“After one month, when they sit down, I am telling you on my honour, in the next six months, that coalition will not even be a conversation. They will scatter.”
Speaking further, Bwala claimed that Peter Obi, LP presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has conceded his presidential ambition to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
He said Obi has been relegated to a secondary role and now finds himself contending for the vice-presidential ticket with Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation.
“Peter Obi is now a non-issue. He’s a non-starter. Already, he has conceded his presidential ambition to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” he said.
“Now he has become second fiddle, but he needs to fight for the vice-presidential ticket with Rotimi Amaechi.
“And from what we are hearing, they have convinced him that he will be director-general of the campaign to lead the movement — and that when they win the election, Atiku will do one term, and then Peter Obi will return to become president.”
On Sunday, Obi announced he would run for president again in 2027, dismissing speculation that he had agreed to be Abubakar’s running mate.
Last Wednesday, opposition politicians adopted the ADC as their platform to challenge Tinubu in 2027.
The coalition includes Obi, Atiku, Amaechi, former Senate President David Mark, and Rauf Aregbesola, former minister of interior.
The Cable
