The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Mr. Sunday Dare, has said that the coalition, which several opposition politicians are championing as a pathway to reclaim national power, “lacks foundation in principle or justice and is driven solely by opportunism.”
In a message shared on his verified X account (@SundayDareSD), Dare rejected the comparisons between the recently formed opposition coalition led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the 2013 merger that created the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), characterising the new coalition as a desperate and selfish attempt to seize power.
“Heads up for Nigerians about ADC — There is no injustice to redress—only avaricious ambition to satisfy,” Dare stated bluntly, asserting that unlike the APC’s emergence in 2013, the current coalition is not driven by national interest.” Mr Dare said.
According to the Presidential aide, the new opposition alliance is being led by “a serial election loser, clutching at what he clearly sees as his last shot at the presidency.”
He noted that the coalition’s chief promoter lacks the backing of key political constituencies, including his own state governor and region, and has no substantial political structure to lean on.
“Unlike Tinubu, he enters the coalition alone—without the backing of his state governor, his region, or any meaningful political structure. His ambition is personal, not patriotic. So also that of his many co-travelers,” Dare wrote.
Highlighting a clear difference from the APC’s formation, Dare noted that the 2013 merger was founded on strategic discipline and shared sacrifice.
He identified the pivotal role played by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who according to him placed national interest above personal ambition at the time.
“In 2013, the merger that birthed the APC was driven by selflessness, national interest, and strategic discipline.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite commanding the loyalty of several sitting governors, chose to wait. He bided his time, played the long game, and focused on building a viable political platform,” he said.
He also referenced the unifying influence of then-General Muhammadu Buhari, whom he described as “a man seen as a symbol of integrity” and a rallying figure with a national grassroots following—something he says the current coalition sorely lacks.
“No one in this coalition commands that kind of loyalty or trust. Not one of them could genuinely unite a ward, let alone a country,” he argued.
Dare further emphasised that the APC merger was rooted in legitimate grievances, including what he described as the constitutional denial of power to a marginalised region and a collective desire to end what many saw as 16 years of misrule by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“The APC coalition emerged to address real grievances: the constitutional denial of power to a region that had been unfairly sidelined and to end the 16 years of ruinous governance by the PDP. It was a coalition grounded in justice and balance,” Dare asserted.
In contrast, he said, the current attempt lacks any ideological or national cause, especially as the presidency is already zoned to a region that, in his words, is “rightfully due.”
“This new coalition! It’s purely opportunistic. The presidency already rests with the region rightfully due. And that’s where it will be till 2031,” he declared.
While the opposition maintains that the country needs a credible alternative, Sunday Dare insists the difference between 2013 and today is as clear as day.
“Let’s be clear: this is not 2013—and this is not the APC,” he concluded.