President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, has dismissed the relevance of the newly revived African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing its key promoters as “a bunch of jokers.”
In an interview on “TUC Half Hour,” aired Wednesday on Channels Television, Osifo expressed deep scepticism over the coalition being championed by prominent political figures.
He categorically stated, “We are not part of the coalition. If you look at it, we’ve had the same story since democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999, yet nothing has changed.” Osifo criticised members of the new coalition—including a former Vice President, a former Senate President, and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi—for simply recycling themselves and lacking any credible track record to inspire genuine hope for change.
He referenced the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, saying, “Remember 2013? They said a new political messiah had come. That gave birth to APC. What happened after? The same set of people who were part of that experiment are now rebranding as ADC.
Now that President Bola Tinubu is in power, these same people are regrouping again. They are old players in new packaging.”
Osifo questioned what these figures had accomplished while in office. “Someone was Vice President for eight years. What did he do? Another person was Senate President and chairman of the National Assembly for eight years. What laws did he influence to transform Nigeria? Then you have the former Rivers governor, Rotimi Amaechi. These are all jokers, I dare to say.”
Rather than pinning hopes on recycled political figures and alliances, Osifo called on Nigerians to focus on meaningful electoral reform. “I think for Nigerians to take back their country, it is not with these failed politicians.
Yes, there may be one or two good ones among them, but that’s not enough. What Nigerians should focus on is how to bring about electoral reform where one man truly equals one vote, and results are not written.”
On economic issues, Osifo criticised government claims of growth, pointing out that many Nigerians are still grappling with high inflation, low wages, and job insecurity.
He also reacted to ongoing tax reforms, warning that while the initiative may be welcomed, it must not place additional burdens on the unemployed or the most vulnerable citizens.
