Dumebi Kachikwu, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has voiced strong criticism against the newly formed opposition coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Reacting to the recent developments within the ADC, which saw former Senate President David Mark and ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola named as Interim National Chairman and Secretary of the party respectively, Kachikwu expressed disappointment over the direction the coalition is taking.
He argued that the individuals now championing the new political alliance are the same politicians who have long dominated Nigerias political landscape without bringing meaningful change.
He said, They are enemies of Nigeria. They are enemies of progress. Nigerians can no longer be fooled. Nigerians from all walks of life watched the videoI just saw it todayand what you saw in that hall were former this and former that: former Vice President, former governors, former ministers. All these formers are taking Nigeria back to its former glory. Theyve never taken us forward.
These same people have ruled Nigeria for the last four decades. Where are we as a country? A nation where 80 per cent of the population is poor. And now they pretend to be the fire brigade, trying to put out the fire they started.
The same people who put our country on its knees are the same people who claim they are fire brigade and they want to put out fire. And you think these people are out to rescue Nigeria? They are political jobbers.
The same people I watched as a child, I watched them on TV, same people who were ruling us, who still want to rule us&they have nothing to offer.
Kachikwu warned that the ADC must not be about tribe or religion, saying the partys concerns are about the aspirations of Nigerians.
If you must have a coalition against Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are you going to agree to have a southerner to lead this coalition so that the eight years of southern leadership is not truncated? And the answer is that we must pick our power back.
Essentially, you are saying to me as a southerner from Delta State and as a Nigerian I am not worthy of any office in Nigeria. The power belongs to just a segment of this country. That is whenever a southern is in the office we must do something to truncate that leadership, he said.
