Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has made a mockery post directed at the opposition figures in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) due to their poor performance in last weekend’s by-elections.
In a post on X, Onanuga shared a photo of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, with the caption: “How is the market now?” The remark, widely viewed as a taunt, was interpreted as a swipe at the opposition coalition, which had attempted to use the ADC as a platform to test its political strength ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The comment comes amid growing questions about the relevance and cohesion of Nigeria’s opposition. Atiku, Obi, and El-Rufai had recently aligned with the ADC to present a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), hoping to demonstrate the coalition’s viability in the by-elections across multiple states.
The results, however, dealt a blow to those ambitions. The APC swept 12 constituencies, consolidating its dominance, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) secured two seats. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) picked up one seat each. The ADC, despite the presence of heavyweight figures, failed to win any constituency.
Political interests note that the coalition’s poor showing was especially striking in Atiku’s stronghold of Adamawa State and Obi’s base in Anambra, where the ADC barely registered on the ballot. Analysts described the results as a sobering reminder of the APC’s entrenched grassroots machinery and the opposition’s struggle to build a cohesive electoral structure.
