The Senate’s spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, says the coalition of opposition forces, which recently adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a platform for the 2027 general elections, is merely providing comic relief within the political circle.
In an interview in Abuja on Sunday, Mr Adaramodu said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was unperturbed by the coming together of the opposition figures on the ADC platform.
Some prominent opposition leaders, under the aegis of the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement, had recently adopted ADC as its platform to challenge the APC in the 2027 general elections.
However, Mr Adaramodu, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said there was no cause for alarm.
While downplaying the coalition’s moves as somewhat comical, he said, “Who’s new? Who is there and is newly introduced?
“Who are the new players that were bought from the transfer market that can make the field very stuffy and very difficult for the APC to score another electoral goal in 2027?
“Look, literally, the thing is that, there’s no way we can be so busy like this and there’s not going to be a time that we have to entertain ourselves comically like now.
“We must laugh. We must relax. Our homes must not be strictly too busy to be secreting a lot of sweat. That’s not good for our health. Not good for the health of our democracy.
“Some people must come up but their actions are comical. So if there is somebody who has been governor for eight years, minister for eight years, speaker for so many years, and says that he’s hungry…so you can see that such action is comical,” he said.
The senator also dismissed insinuations that APC had been in “panic mode” since the unveiling of ADC as the preferred party by the opposition bigwigs.
“How do you measure panic mode? What panic mode? That is purely speculative. Why should we be bothered?” he queried.
According to him, the coalition consists largely of the same political actors who have just decided to shift platforms.
He said, “Who’s new? Who is there and is newly introduced? Who are the new players that were bought from the transfer market that can make the field very stuffy and very difficult for the APC to score another electoral goal in 2027?
“It is the same players, whether in the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour or All Progressive Grand Alliance, that all came together under ADC. We know them well and we know their strengths and weaknesses.”
The senator likened the situation to football players transferring clubs and yet remaining the same familiar opponents.
“This is like when players move from Chelsea to Manchester United and then Manchester City plays against them. You know the players because you have been playing with them before,” he said.
Mr Adaramodu questioned the presence of any new political figures capable of significantly challenging the APC’s dominance.
“Who is the new player from the transfer market who can make the field tough enough to stop APC from scoring another electoral victory in 2027?” he queried.
On his own political future and the possibility of re-contesting the Ekiti South Senatorial seat in 2027, Mr Adaramodu said it’s all about divine providence and his constituents’ judgment.
Reflecting on his own unexpected rise to the Senate, Mr Adaramodu said, “Initially, I never imagined I could become a senator, but here I am. It is the ‘God factor’ and that will continue to guide me in whatever position I hold next.”
(NAN)