THE MORAL BANKRUPTCY OF APC: WHY THEY CAN'T CRITICIZE THE NEW OPPOSITION PARTY

By: Rita Ebiuwa

In the ever-evolving landscape of Nigerian politics, the formation of a new opposition coalition, with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) taking center stage, has sparked reactions across the board. Predictably, supporters and apologists of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have attempted to cast aspersions on the emerging alliance. But when one scrutinizes the moral, ethical, and governance credentials of the APC, it becomes glaringly obvious that its supporters have lost every right to lecture others on leadership or political ideals.

Is the new coalition pro-corruption? Certainly not. But the APC is knee-deep in it. From the padded budgets to mind-numbing embezzlements and gross abuse of public funds, the APC-led administration has presided over some of the most scandalous financial mismanagements in Nigeria’s democratic history. Under their watch, the EFCC has become a political tool, and many looters found refuge in the APC camp after crossing over from other parties. If corruption were a stain, APC’s robes would be dripping with it.

Are the members of the new coalition “tired legs”? That’s a laughable assertion coming from supporters of a party whose leadership is dominated by political pensioners — relics of military regimes, former governors with nothing new to offer, and power brokers who have recycled themselves through the corridors of influence since the 1970s. If there’s a party that symbolizes political redundancy and fatigue, it is the APC.

Is the new coalition incompetent? The very suggestion is rich coming from loyalists of a party that has presided over two recessions, spiraling inflation, worsening insecurity, a collapsed power grid, a battered currency, and massive youth unemployment. In a decade, the APC has managed to take Nigeria from a rising giant to a nation on life support. If incompetence were a currency, APC would be wealthier than Dubai.

Are they accusing the new coalition of being anti-June 12? That accusation collapses under the weight of APC's own hypocrisy. June 12 is not merely about declaring a holiday or canonizing MKO Abiola in speeches — it is about the values of fair elections, justice, and people-powered governance. Yet under APC, elections have become war zones, votes have been bought, and INEC has become a joke. The spirit of June 12 is not in the APC — it is in the streets, where young Nigerians cry out for justice and inclusion.

Is the new coalition anti-democracy or anti-people? Again, irony abounds. Under APC rule, protests are crushed, journalists harassed, dissenting voices silenced, and civic space continuously narrowed. The ruling party has shown utter contempt for democratic values. It is a party that bullies, manipulates, and imposes — not one that consults, includes, or empowers.

As for restructuring, APC supporters must look to their own manifesto before pointing fingers. The APC campaigned on restructuring in 2015, raised hopes, set up a committee — and then dumped the report into the dustbin of betrayal. Years later, Nigeria still groans under a suffocating unitary structure while APC leaders play to the gallery.

So what exactly do APC supporters have against the new coalition? The truth is — nothing of substance. What they fear is the threat this new movement poses to their entrenched power. What they dread is a political awakening that could expose their failures and strip them of the illusion of competence. The ADC and its coalition partners are not perfect, but they carry a renewed vision, a hunger for a better Nigeria, and most importantly — a new HOPE.

In chapter of opposition politics, the APC and its cheerleaders must sit this one out. They have neither the record, the ethics, nor the vision to lecture any1 on what good leadership should look like.The future belongs 2 those who dare to build — not to those who have spent the last decade destroying Nigeria.