Presidency Slams Ex Buhari Ministers Over Move to Opposition Party

The Presidency has strongly criticized former ministers from the Buhari administration who have joined a new political coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.

These figures, now aligned with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), were described by President Bola Tinubu’s media team as disloyal opportunists lacking clear purpose.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to President Tinubu, specifically named former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, ex-Attorney General Abubakar Malami, former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola. He accused them of abandoning the All Progressives Congress (APC) after losing out on personal ambitions.

According to Onanuga, the former officials now part of the opposition coalition are not united by any policy goal or national interest. Instead, he claimed they are driven purely by personal grievances and dislike for President Tinubu. He warned Nigerians to be cautious, arguing that the coalition lacks both vision and stability, and that internal differences will eventually divide them.

Amaechi was accused of turning his back on the APC after he failed to win the party’s 2022 presidential ticket. Malami, Onanuga said, pulled back from active party affairs after his unsuccessful bid to govern Kebbi State. He also mentioned that Sirika is facing trial for contract-related fraud, while Aregbesola was allegedly expelled from the APC in Osun State for anti-party behavior.

The new opposition alliance has officially adopted the ADC as its platform. Prominent figures involved include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, former Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola, former Minister of Youth and Sports Bolaji Abdullahi, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Mark and Aregbesola have been named interim National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, respectively.

Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and a senior APC member, also voiced strong criticism. He said it is illegal for political figures to operate under more than one party, adding that open allegiance to the ADC automatically means abandoning their previous affiliations. He argued that this legal contradiction could disqualify them from running in future elections.

Keyamo claimed the move marks the formal collapse of the PDP, saying the party’s structure has now splintered into personal projects driven by former leaders. He also said the coalition is simply Atiku Abubakar’s effort to secure another presidential run. He further alleged that Peter Obi’s popularity is being used by the group without any intention of giving him a leading role.

He questioned the logic of making Obi a vice-presidential candidate despite his strong showing in two regions during the last election, compared to Atiku’s performance in only one.

Political observers have likened this development to the 2013 realignment that led to the formation of the APC, which went on to defeat the PDP in 2015. However, critics from the ruling party argue that unlike the APC’s birth, the new coalition lacks structure, direction, and ideological clarity.

According to Keyamo, while the ADC may appear to have gained political momentum, it has only become a stage for recycled ambitions. In his words, the APC remains intact, the PDP and Labour Party have weakened, and the ADC has merely become a platform filled with contradictions.