Femi Fani-Kayode has weighed in on the leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following its derecognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Reacting via a post on X on Thursday, Fani-Kayode ridiculed key figures in the opposition party, including David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, describing the situation as a serious blow to their political aspirations.
“Given the fact that they have been affected by the decisions of the courts and INEC and they no longer have a party and platform to stand and run on… who are the ones that have been rejected now?” he wrote.
He further argued that the party’s challenges were not isolated, claiming it had endured a series of setbacks.
“They have been rejected by the courts, rejected by INEC, rejected by their original founders and rejected by the Nigerian people,” he said.
The former aviation minister also questioned the party’s preparedness for upcoming elections, advising its leadership to prioritise rebuilding ahead of future contests.
“May I suggest that they channel all their energy to building up and forming a real opposition party over the next five years and then field a candidate for the 2031 presidential election? Given the circumstances, that is their best bet because 2027 is already lost to them,” he stated.
Fani-Kayode went on to criticise the party’s leadership style, insisting that the internal crisis was self-inflicted due to what he described as a lack of meaningful solutions.
“This is what happens when all you do is pose for group shots, talk balderdash on television, contract an army of malignant and malevolent trolls on social media, employ the services of leporous and incompetent spokesmen, contract rag sheets to spread lies and fake news, rely on your foreign friends to bring carnage and destruction and destabilise our country and lament from morning till night without offering any concrete solutions. Frankly they got what they deserved,” he said.
The controversy follows the decision by INEC to remove Mark and Aregbesola from its official portal as national chairman and national secretary of the ADC, respectively. The electoral body acted based on its interpretation of a Court of Appeal ruling concerning the party’s leadership tussle.
Despite the development, the ADC claimed that the situation has triggered increased interest in the party, stating that more than 40,000 Nigerians have joined its ranks since the announcement on Wednesday.