Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has criticised the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, accusing the party of lacking a clear agenda for Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Friday, Onanuga described the NDC as “a camp for the politically displaced and desperate,” while questioning the party’s preparedness to govern the country.
His comments come amid growing attention surrounding the NDC following the defection of Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the party.
According to Onanuga, the NDC is no different from the ADC because it has failed to present a distinct vision for Nigeria.
“Like ADC, the NDC has no plan for Nigeria yet,” he said.
The presidential aide explained that he visited the party’s website on two separate occasions to check whether it had outlined “a markedly different vision for the governance of Nigeria” compared to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
However, he said his attempts yielded no results despite prompts on the website directing visitors to access the party’s manifesto.
“‘No document found’ was the response I got each time I tried to download the manifesto,” Onanuga stated.
He also expressed concern that although the party had spoken about pursuing an ideological contest ahead of the 2027 election, it had yet to upload a manifesto since securing court registration in February.
Onanuga further noted that the only visible policy direction on the party’s website consisted of six policy points described as pillars.
According to him, the ideas presented were not substantial enough to qualify as pillars, arguing instead that they “sound more like the platitudes the party’s newest catch, Peter Obi, has bombarded the nation with in the last six years”.
Despite the criticism, Onanuga said he still looks forward to seeing the NDC eventually unveil its vision and mission for Nigeria.
