The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said there is nothing surprising about the ongoing wave of defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC) by governors and political officeholders, warning that the ruling party will soon face the same fate as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The party stated this in a release signed by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in response to comments credited to the APC National Chairman, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, who reportedly said during a stakeholders’ meeting in Jos that “key ADC figures” would soon defect to the ruling party.
According to Abdullahi, there is “nothing new in the game” the APC is playing, noting that the same “ruinous strategy” of political poaching contributed to the downfall of the PDP when it was in power.
“There is nothing new in the game that the APC is playing. It is the same ruinous game that the PDP played at the height of its powers. The APC will also learn the bitter lesson that real democratic power lies with the people and not a few power merchants,” the statement read.
The ADC said the remarks by the APC chairman only revealed the ruling party’s desperation and insecurity despite controlling most states in the federation.
“This shows that even with all the governors and senators they have been bragging about, the APC is still desperate for ADC members. We wonder if the APC has run out of governors to seduce that it has now turned to shadowy references to unnamed ADC members?” the statement queried.
The ADC challenged Dr. Yilwatda to name the individuals he claimed were preparing to join the APC, stressing that the ruling party’s reliance on political defections rather than performance reflected its disconnection from Nigerians.
“The truth remains that the APC realises that it has become the most hated party in Nigeria, and no amount of defections can save it from the wrath of Nigerians whose lives and livelihoods it has destroyed since coming to power,” the ADC said.
The opposition party further described the recent high-profile defections into the APC as a “gang-up against Nigerians” by a political elite intent on protecting their interests rather than serving the people.
“It is a conspiracy by a ruling elite who have abandoned the people in abject poverty and are only interested in self-preservation even as their citizens wallow in misery,” the statement added.
