Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has revealed that founding members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition made a formal oath at the time of its formation, pledging to prioritise national interest over personal ambitions.
Dalung made the disclosure while speaking on the *Mic On Podcast* hosted by Seun Okinbaloye. He said the coalition was originally built on a shared commitment to Nigeria rather than individual political gain.
According to him, while internal disagreements were anticipated, the main challenge has been the failure of some members to remain committed to the founding principles.
“The controversies are expected because when we went into the coalition on day one, we all took oath that it was not going to be about any individual but country,” Dalung said.
He added that he has remained committed to that agreement despite the current tensions within the group.
“I’m keeping to that oath because things like this as a politician will arise, so anybody pretending that these issues of controversy will not come is not sincere,” he said.
Dalung, however, expressed disappointment over what he described as a shift in priorities among some coalition members.
“My disappointment is that most of those who took oath on day one in the coalition have broken them,” he said.
He explained that personal ambition has now become a major factor weakening the coalition’s original structure.
“The oath was to stick with the coalition and not individual interest, so what has now destabilized the coalition is personal ambition taking preeminence over our early commitment,” he stated.
Despite the challenges, Dalung maintained that the coalition has not collapsed entirely, although it has lost much of its early cohesion.
“The coalition as it is now is not dead but not as formidable as it were,” he added.
The African Democratic Congress remains part of ongoing political alignments and discussions within Nigeria’s opposition space.
