“Keep Your Eyes Wide Open” – Presidency Warns Nigerians Against Opposition Coalition

The Presidency has issued a strong warning to Nigerians, urging them to remain alert and not be swayed by the newly formed political coalition aiming to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, criticized the coalition, describing it as a desperate alliance built on a shared animosity toward Tinubu rather than a unified vision for the country.

The coalition, which recently held a high-profile meeting at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, has adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its political platform ahead of the 2027 elections. Among the political heavyweights present at the meeting were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former governors Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi, and several other key figures including Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu, Senator Gabriel Suswam, Ireti Kingibe, Emeka Ihedioha, and retired Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

Onanuga dismissed the relevance of the coalition’s members, many of whom he claimed had long distanced themselves from the All Progressives Congress (APC). He noted that figures such as Abubakar Malami, Rotimi Amaechi, Hadi Sirika, and Rauf Aregbesola were no longer part of the ruling party. According to him, Amaechi effectively exited in 2022 after losing the APC presidential primary, while Malami has shown no allegiance to Tinubu, especially following his failed governorship bid in Kebbi State. He also pointed out that Sirika is currently facing legal challenges over alleged contract fraud and that Aregbesola has been expelled from the APC due to anti-party activities.

Onanuga further criticized former APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and Kashim Imam, branding them as disgruntled politicians with no significant influence. He accused the coalition of lacking ideology and unity, asserting that their only binding force is a mutual desire to unseat Tinubu.

“My advice to Nigerians: Keep your eyes wide open. A political party with no clear agenda or ideology—whose members are united only by their hatred for President Tinubu—cannot be good for our country. It will only set us back by decades,” Onanuga stated.

He characterized the coalition as a group of political opportunists who are simply seeking power for personal gain. “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 said, adding that the coalition would soon crumble under the weight of its members’ conflicting ambitions.