APC to ADC: Your coalition is a gathering of ‘vendetta merchants’

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the unveiling of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition as a hollow display of desperation and self-interest.

In a statement on Thursday, Felix Morka, national publicity secretary of the APC, said the event, which took place in Abuja on Wednesday, was a “gasping whimper” rather than the “roar” its promoters had promised.

Morka accused the coalition’s leaders of being “hoaxers and self-obsessed merchants of vendetta” driven by selfish political ambition.

He said the ADC’s unveiling was nothing more than “a roll call of Nigeria’s me-or-nothing politicians” who are desperate to return to power through “guile and subterfuge”.

“Not surprisingly, the speech delivered by Senator David Mark, the alleged national chairman of ADC, was disgracefully vacant, without substance or purpose, nothing but stitches of untruths, diatribe, and regurgitated and baseless allegations against the APC-led administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement reads.

Morka said Mark failed to offer Nigerians any clear alternative to the policies of the Tinubu administration or articulate the philosophical foundation of the coalition.

“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,” he said.

“What value does the 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?”

He said the coalition leaders assume that Nigerians are gullible, noting that the citizens are “highly perceptive and discerning” and will not be fooled.

Morka said the APC remains focused on building a stronger country and highlighted what he called the transformative achievements of the Tinubu-led government.

He listed key accomplishments to include a 3.4 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, increased external reserves from $4 billion to over $24 billion, a reduction in the debt service-to-revenue ratio from 99 percent to 40 percent, and a drop in inflation from 31 percent to 22 percent.

He said the opposition is blind to other economic milestones, including stable forex markets, growing oil exports, improved federal allocations to states, and the rollout of social investment programmes.

“With unprecedented access to student loans, a stable academic calendar, modern transport infrastructure, and upgraded healthcare facilities, President Tinubu has remained focused while opposition elements wallow in mudslinging,” he said.

Morka added that the APC would not be distracted by “a coalition of noise” but would continue to build “a stronger, enduring and more prosperous nation”.

On Thursday, Leke Abejide, a member of the house of representatives and chieftain of the ADC, said the coalition is doomed to fail.

Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, Abejide, who represents Yagba federal constituency in Kogi, described himself as the face and financier of the ADC.