The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has criticized members of the opposition coalition, describing them as individuals who are driven by desperation and self-interest rather than any genuine concern for national progress.
Bayo Onanuga in a post on X, noted that the aim of the members of the coalition is to avoid enduring another four years in political wilderness or sinking into irrelevance.
According to him, they are solely focused on seizing power, not for the benefit of Nigerians but to escape political wilderness.
“These politicians are desperados, hungry for power, not for the benefit of Nigerians but for themselves. They want power at all costs because they cannot endure another four years in the political wilderness or be banished to political winter and irrelevance,” he wrote.
Onanuga dismissed the public perception that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would be affected by the departure of certain individuals now aligning with the opposition coalition. He argued that these individuals had long distanced themselves from the APC, and their exit should not be misrepresented as a loss to the party.
He referenced former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, stating that his commitment to the APC ended in 2022 after he lost the party’s presidential primary to President Tinubu. He stated that Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney-General, has been visibly disengaged from the party since Tinubu took office and following Malami’s failed attempt to become the governor of Kebbi State.
Onanuga pointed to Hadi Sirika, who is now aligned with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), noting that he is currently facing trial for alleged contract splitting and other infractions. He accused Rauf Aregbesola of engaging in anti-party activities during the last Osun State election, stating that he was eventually expelled from the party.
He mentioned Kashim Imam and Chief John Odigie Oyegun, describing them as disenchanted politicians now masquerading as national reformers. He stated that Imam left the APC after failing to secure the vice-presidential ticket in 2022, adding that Oyegun, a former APC national chairman, lost interest in the party long ago and has been a key figure in the opposition coalition since its formation.
Onanuga warned Nigerians to remain vigilant, stating that any political group without a clear vision or ideology, and one that is united solely by its animosity toward President Tinubu poses a significant threat to national progress. He stated that such a coalition would only drag the country backward. He predicted that internal conflicts driven by clashing personal ambitions would ultimately lead to the collapse of the group.
