Politics
Panic As Onanuga’s Broadside At ADC Backfires
By Benjamin Abioye

A fiery political commentary from Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, has lit up social media, following his lengthy dismissal of the fast-rising ADC coalition—a bloc fast becoming more unsettling to the ruling APC than the traditional opposition PDP.
In a post shared via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Onanuga sought to downplay the weight of recent defections from the APC, branding the defectors “disgruntled” and accusing them of “hatred for President Tinubu.”
“These politicians are desperados, hungry for power… united only by their hatred for President Tinubu,” he wrote, referring to the likes of Rotimi Amaechi, Abubakar Malami, Rauf Aregbesola, Hadi Sirika, Kashim Imam, and Chief John Odigie Oyegun—all of whom have either openly declared or been associated with the ADC’s new coalition.
Onanuga was scathing in his assessment, describing the ADC as a party “with no clear agenda or ideology.” He warned Nigerians to “keep your eyes wide open,” insisting that such a party “cannot be good for our country” and “will only set us back by decades.”
He claimed that Amaechi had “left the APC in spirit” since losing the presidential primary to Tinubu in 2022. According to him, “Amaechi’s soul left the APC in 2022 after losing the presidential primary to President Tinubu.”
Onanuga also described Malami as having been “estranged from the APC since Tinubu assumed leadership and since he lost the governorship bid in Kebbi.” He added that former aviation minister Hadi Sirika—now with ADC—is “facing trial for contract splitting and other allegations.”
Rauf Aregbesola, he continued, was “a renegade” who “committed anti-party activities in the last Osun election and was expelled as an unfit APC member.”
Onanuga didn’t spare former party chairman Oyegun either, calling him “an octogenarian… posturing as a would-be saviour of Nigeria.” He also dismissed Kashim Imam’s motives, saying Imam abandoned the APC “after failing to secure the vice-presidential ticket in 2022.”
He warned that the coalition would not last:
“What is certain is that the group will soon unravel due to their irreconcilable personal ambitions.”
But his comments quickly triggered a firestorm of replies, many of which accused Onanuga—and by extension, the APC—of nervousness, insecurity, and deflection.
“If these men are so irrelevant, why the long essay?” one user, @AdaIgbo00, asked. “The coalition clearly hit a nerve. 2027 is coming.”
“APC is a FAILURE,” wrote another. “From 2015 till date, the only thing you’ve delivered is more poverty, hunger, and hopelessness.”
@Sparzy7 cut deeper, linking the current hardship in the country to poor decisions and warning the ruling party, “If this coalition is not another APC scheme, I don’t see you coming back in 2027.”
Others mocked Onanuga’s tone, comparing it to panic in real-time.
“High blood pressure wan kpai this one,” joked @Ozorbig1.
“You are supposed to be on vacation by some waterside, sipping wine,” quipped @IamEkene\_, “but instead you’re here writing epistles. That coalition clearly touched something.”
More serious voices like @Atobajaye25 offered sobering critiques:
“Rather than addressing the suffering of the masses, some choose to defend failure with hypocrisy. If you’re simply doing your job, do it—but not at the expense of the people’s dignity.”
Even more striking were comments that reversed Onanuga’s accusation of “hatred for Tinubu” as motivation for the coalition.
“That’s exactly why we’ll vote for them,” replied @samstrongng. “Sending urban bandits out of Aso Villa is a call to duty every reasonable and ‘unreasonable’ Nigerian must answer.”
Some, like @nonsochukwu\_038, reminded Onanuga that APC itself was birthed in 2013 through a similar coalition of disenchanted politicians from different parties, including the PDP.
“Let’s see how this pans out,” he said. “All we want is a better country.”
Others offered cold realism.
“We don’t care if the coalition members are angels or demons,” wrote @GbolahanObadime. “We just want this government out.”
While a few APC loyalists tried to calm the waters, insisting President Tinubu would survive any storm, even they admitted the coalition poses a challenge.
“Even if Trump joins them,” said @kingkhone4real, “Tinubu will still win.”
Still, for every line of confidence, there were five shouting back with frustration.
@ekenefortunate put it bluntly:
“You think it’s a joke? Nigerians are tired of your principal’s incompetence. We’re voting you out.”
The ADC-led coalition, now backed by prominent figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, El-Rufai, David Mark, Amaechi, Malami, and others, has clearly rattled the ruling party. And while Onanuga’s post was meant to downplay the coalition’s relevance, it may have accidentally confirmed the opposite.
For many Nigerians, especially online, the emotional weight of his post felt less like analysis—and more like fear.
2027 is still over a year away, but the temperature is rising fast.
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