Former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, has condemned the recently formed opposition coalition that adopted the ADC as its political platform for the 2027 general elections, describing its members as “enemies of Nigeria” and symbols of a failed past.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Wednesday, Kachikwu criticized the coalition as a recycled gathering of political elites responsible for Nigeria’s longstanding challenges.
He accused the alliance of being more concerned with returning to power than offering fresh solutions to the nation’s problems.
“They are enemies of Nigeria. They are enemies of progress. Nigerians can no longer be fooled,” Kachikwu stated. “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. They’ve never taken us forward.”
The ex-ADC flagbearer further lamented what he described as the continuous recycling of political leadership in the country. He argued that while the faces in the coalition represent the past, Nigeria desperately needs new, visionary leadership to move forward.
“How long will the same people who contributed to Nigeria’s decline keep coming back to claim they can fix it?” he asked.
Kachikwu also expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which the ADC was reportedly absorbed into the opposition coalition, saying the development is being watched with “amusement.”
He noted that key stakeholders in the party were neither consulted nor involved in the process, adding that the takeover lacks legitimacy and broad-based support from the party’s core members.
The coalition, unveiled earlier this week at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, includes prominent politicians such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, David Mark, and Rauf Aregbesola.
It has since generated mixed reactions, with some viewing it as a step toward a strong opposition front, while others, like Kachikwu, see it as a retreat to the old political order.
