The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected allegations by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that the ruling party and President Bola Tinubu’s administration are planning to destabilize the opposition.
The APC’s response was contained in a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Monday.
Morka described the ADC’s allegations as “wild,” “imaginary,” and a “desperate attempt to whip up sentiments and manipulate public opinion,” insisting that no such meeting between federal government officials and ADC members occurred.
“In its statement of Monday, the ADC wildly alleged an imaginary plot by President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to undermine and destabilise the party,” Morka said. “Citing ‘credible intelligence’, the party claimed that state chairmen in the North East and North West zones were summoned to a secret meeting with federal officials, in a plot to intimidate and coerce the opposition coalition.”
Morka said the ADC failed to provide any evidence, calling the allegation a product of “the warped imagination of masters of deception.”
“Beyond the rash of poorly imagined accusations, the statement did not offer substantiation of any kind. Its vague reference to ‘officials of federal government’ only belies the mischievous intent of its makers to whip up sentiments, manipulate public opinion, and distract Nigerians,” he said.
He added, “Clearly, there was no such meeting, and certainly, no one could have been coerced or intimidated at a meeting that never was.”
Morka further accused the ADC of internal disarray, “There is no reason for Mr. President or APC to expend valuable time and energy trying to sow confusion within ADC that is already mortally wounded,” he said.
He alleged the ADC’s statement was aimed at covering up internal issues: “The ADC’s statement is just a calculated preemptive excuse for its evident ill-fated future of disintegration, like Humpty Dumpty whose great fall could not be put back together again,” he said. “It has placed on public display the incompetence and inability of its leadership to manage its impending internal crisis.”
The statement also criticized opposition coalition members, referring to them as “failed and restless presidential contenders.”
“And what good can possibly come out of a coalition of our country’s most inept politicians and architects of misrule, corruption, poverty and underdevelopment who are now congregated in ADC?” Morka asked.
He said ADC had not offered any clear vision, “As an agglomeration of politicians desperate for presidential power, the ADC has nothing to offer Nigerians and has failed to articulate any alternative vision of governance and development,” he said. “Their strategy appears to begin and end with vilifying our party and attacking President Tinubu’s record.”
The statement also criticized opposition figures such as former FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai, former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, and Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
From El-Rufai’s “failure in comparison to the mind-blowing transformation” by current FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, to Peter Obi’s “campaigning with steeze and opulence in private jets” despite promises of austerity, Morka said none of them “has the vision, the courage, competence, credibility, track record, zeal and patriotism to serve Nigeria better than President Bola Tinubu is already doing.”
He concluded, “While the opposition wallows in self-inflicted confusion, the Tinubu administration and our party remain undistracted and will continue to build a virile and vibrant country for this and future generations of Nigerians.”
