ADC’s bid to tap Buhari’s support base is doomed — Osita Okechukwu
Former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VoN), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has dismissed claims by opposition politicians in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) seeking to inherit former President Muhammadu Buhari’s famed 12 million vote-bank, declaring that none of them possesses the character or credibility to fill his shoes.
Speaking in Abuja on Sunday after an interdenominational church service in honour of the late Buhari, Okechukwu described the aspirations of these politicians as unrealistic and devoid of moral grounding.
Okechukwu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), praised Buhari’s over five decades of unblemished service, from his days as military governor to his presidency, as a rare legacy that no ADC aspirant could replicate.
“With the greatest respect to prominent politicians who expectedly want to inherit late President Buhari’s much-celebrated 12 million vote-bank; one wishes to submit that Buhari’s shoe is too big. His uncommon humanity, integrity, transparency quotient, and moral compass are antithetical and a herculean task to their aspirations,” he stated.
He criticised the ADC figures for lacking a track record in anti-corruption efforts and for relying on vote-buying tactics in past elections.
According to him, their public service history is tainted by allegations of self-enrichment and questionable privatisation practices, including the mismanagement of strategic assets like NEPA, Ajaokuta Steel, and the Aluminium Smelter Company.
He also warned that the so-called “northern card” being deployed by some ADC hopefuls is a political mirage.
“Flying the northern card is a mirage because the Northern electorate is one of the most sophisticated. They showed their patriotism by voting more for Abiola in 1993 and giving Tinubu more votes in 2023 than the Southern electorate,” Okechukwu explained.
He accused the ADC of attempting to manipulate regional sentiments to disrupt Nigeria’s established rotational presidency convention and cautioned them to desist from actions that could threaten national unity.
“Those who crave access to the famed Buhari’s 12 million vote-bank are consciously pitching the North against the South. They should have a rethink because equity, justice, and fairness constitute the bedrock of our democracy,” he said.
Okechukwu further revealed that an alleged plot by the ADC to absorb remnants of Buhari’s defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was thwarted through the resistance of former governors Tanko Almakura and Aminu Masari.
He concluded by urging politicians to respect the legacy of Buhari and preserve the principles that have sustained Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
