By Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched an attack on the newly unveiled African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the opposition coalition as a desperate gathering of power hungry politicians with no real vision for Nigeria.
In a statement on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the APC described the ADC’s much publicised launch as a “gasping whimper” rather than the roaring revolution its promoters had promised.
The APC did not mince words in its condemnation, labeling the ADC a “coalition of hoaxers and self-obsessed merchants of vendetta.” The statement accused the opposition of being a “roll call of Nigeria’s me-or-nothing politicians” who prioritize personal ambition over national interest.
“These are individuals who cannot bear to be out of the corridors of power and patronage,” the statement read. “They are desperate to grab power for themselves by guile and subterfuge, laying claim to an immoral birthright to power, even while draped in an odious record of betrayal of public trust and rapacious public service.”
The ruling party reserved particular scorn for the speech delivered by Senator David Mark, the ADC’s National Chairman, dismissing it as “disgracefully vacant, without substance or purpose.” According to the APC, Mark’s address was “nothing but stitches of untruths, diatribe, and regurgitated, baseless allegations against the APC-led administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
“From beginning to end, Senator Mark said nothing about the purpose of the so-called coalition other than a loud declaration of desperation for power,” the statement continued. “What value does this coalition bring to Nigerians? Why should any Nigerian be concerned about a coalition of a bunch of egotistical maniacs for whom power and patronage are the oxygen on which their lives depend?”
The APC further mocked the ADC for failing to present any concrete policy alternatives to the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms. The statement questioned the philosophical and ideological foundation of the coalition, asking, “What exactly is the philosophical or ideological leaning of this coalition or its new party, aside from desperation for power at all cost, by all means necessary and unnecessary?”
“One would have expected that, after months of vacillating between the devil and the deep blue sea in search of a host platform, Senator Mark and his co-travelers would take Nigerians seriously enough by telling them what their coalition would do differently,” the APC said.
The ruling party insisted that Nigerians are too discerning to be swayed by what it called the ADC’s “grand folly.” “They must think Nigerians to be gullible and uncritical,” the statement read. “Quite to the contrary, Nigerians are highly perceptive and discerning and will not be taken in by the coalition’s desperate antics.”
In contrast to the ADC’s perceived emptiness, the APC highlighted the Tinubu administration’s economic achievements, including a GDP growth rate of 3.4%, external reserves rising from $4 billion in 2023 to over $24 billion in 2024, and a reduction in debt service-to-revenue ratio from 99% to 40%.
The statement also pointed to declining inflation, improved trade surpluses, increased revenue allocations to states and local governments, and significant infrastructure developments in roads, healthcare, and education. “Even with our oil exports at an all-time high, with unprecedented quarter-on-quarter trade surpluses, and with vast stability in the foreign exchange market, these opposition elements would stop at nothing to denigrate the success and transformative impact of reform policies for their own base interests,” the APC said.
While the ADC “remains preoccupied swimming in mud and throwing bricks,” the APC vowed to stay focused on nation-building. “Our great Party and President Tinubu remain undisturbed and focused on using all available bricks to build a stronger, enduring, and more prosperous nation for this and future generations of Nigerians,” the statement concluded.
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