From Okwe Obi, Abuja
A chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Faduri Oluwadare Joseph, has described those who formed the coalition as people who have wrecked the fortune of the country over the years in different capacities.
Joseph, who is also the Leader of Rescue Movement for New Nigeria, in a statement yesterday, said the coalition was “deeply insulting to our collective intelligence,” noting that these were the architects of the “Emilokan” brand of governance—a slogan that birthed an era of arrogance, entitlement, and impunity—which President Bola Tinubu was merely continuing.
“Today, these same failed leaders have rebranded themselves overnight, claiming they want to “rescue” Nigeria. From what, if not the very destruction they orchestrated?
“It is a tragedy that these old political figures—who once had power and opportunity to do right by Nigerians but instead enriched themselves—are now aligning for selfish interests under the pretense of national salvation. Their sudden “coalitions” are not built on vision or values, but on desperation and self-preservation.
“As I have always said, the future of Nigeria will not be decided by defecting politicians or recycled coalitions. The next election belongs to the ordinary Nigerian who has suffered silently for too long, the Nigerian youth, cheated and sidelined for decades, the market women, who have been used and discarded, the Christian community praying for true change, the Muslims yearning for justice, equity, and a functional nation. The children of Nigeria deserve a hopeful, secure future,” he stated.
He said those who could not organize their own homes could not rule a nation. He queried the pedigree of the leaders of the coalition such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his PDP camp that could not resolve their internal crises, Peter Obi, who is incapable of leading the Labour Party, Nasir El-Rufai, who is aggrieved over not getting a ministerial post, despite the pain he left behind in Kaduna State and Rauf Aregbesola, whose years in power—both as Governor and Minister—left no significant legacy.
He claimed that those behind the coalition had contributed to the rot that Tinubu simply inherited but now wished to “rescue” the very nation they helped destroy. “Nigerians must not be fooled,” he declared.
“What we are witnessing is not a coalition for Nigeria, but a coalition of corruption, a coalition of greed, and a setup for yet another failed government in new clothing. It is the same old wine in a new bottle,” he added.