A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, has raised concerns over the growing disconnect between President Bola Tinubu and the realities within the country and the ruling party, blaming sycophants in the President’s inner circle for painting a false picture of normalcy.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday, the former presidential aspirant warned that the APC must urgently confront internal weaknesses and leadership challenges following the controversial resignation of former party chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
According to Garba, the newly formed opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is positioning itself to exploit the ruling party’s vulnerabilities. He described the coalition as a gathering of “vultures” waiting to feast on the APC’s failings.
“They [the opposition coalition] hope for our loss, and that is why we need to be serious,” Garba stated. “We need a leadership that is truthful and willing to listen to criticism, not one surrounded by sycophants. A lot of people around the President are telling him that things are okay things are not okay.”
Garba also pointed to a significant erosion of political capital for the APC in northern Nigeria, especially in the wake of the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari. He noted that Buhari’s legendary 12-million vote bloc in the North had already diminished before his passing in July 2025.
“Buhari left office in 2023. When you look at the outcome of that election, the APC managed just 5.5 million votes in the North,” he said. “Where were the 12 million votes? They were already gone, even before his death.”
Despite that shortfall, Garba said the APC was able to win the 2023 presidential election due to strategic planning and the strength of existing political structures. However, he warned that without Buhari’s unifying presence in the North, the party must urgently overhaul its strategy.
“What we need now is to re-engineer our strategies again now with his absence,” he cautioned.
