Gbajabiamila under fire over comment on ADC

By Baba Martins, Musa Luka Musa (Abuja), Sani Ibrahim Paki (Kano) & Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin)   More reactions have continued to trail remarks by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, in which he urged a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, to remain in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and […]

By Baba Martins, Musa Luka Musa (Abuja), Sani Ibrahim Paki (Kano) & Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin)

 

More reactions have continued to trail remarks by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, in which he urged a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, to remain in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and “scatter the party.”

The former Speaker made the comment during the 50th birthday celebration of Abejide’s wife in Abuja.

A video of the event, which surfaced online on Monday, showed Gbajabiamila encouraging the lawmaker, a member of the Nafiu Bala faction of the ADC, to stay in the party and intensify internal battles.

“I know you to be a committed party man… someone who does not like to be cheated. So please, stay in that same ADC. Fight them. Scatter them. Hold on to your party. Do not abandon it,” he said.

“We like what you are doing. Continue. Don’t mind what the former governor said about joining the APC. No, stay in ADC, win your re-election and you will. You are a fighter… nobody can take your party away from you,” he added.

The ADC and other opposition parties have long accused the Presidency and the APC of being behind internal crises within their ranks.

In the past three years, major opposition parties, including the NNPP, Labour Party, PDP, SDP and ADC, have experienced divisions and factionalisation under circumstances often linked to external interference.

Efforts to get a response from the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, were unsuccessful.

However, party chieftain Kola Ologbondiyan described the comment as reckless, alleging it confirmed the Presidency’s role in destabilising opposition parties.

“That statement is very reckless and clearly suggests the Presidency is behind the crises in opposition parties,” he said.

‘Gbajabiamila may be speaking the President’s mind’

A former member of the House of Representatives, Nnenna Ukeje, speaking on behalf of the African Democratic Congress National Legislators Serving and Former Forum (ADC-NF), has expressed concern over the remarks.

She said the forum was drawing the attention of Nigerians, the international community and development partners to what she described as “unguarded” comments by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, directed at Leke Abejide.

According to her, Gbajabiamila urged the lawmaker to remain in the ADC, “fight them and scatter them from within,” while assuring him of support and wishing him success in ongoing court cases.

“These individuals are currently in litigation with the ADC. When the Chief of Staff says ‘fight them, scatter them; we are happy with you and will support you to succeed in court,’ it is difficult to assume he is speaking in isolation,” she said.

Ukeje said such statements suggest alignment with the position of the Presidency and raise concerns about possible attempts to influence both political and judicial outcomes.

“When comments like this are made in the context of active litigation affecting the leadership of an opposition party, they cannot be dismissed as casual. They point to a pattern that risks undermining democratic balance,” she added.

She further noted that when such remarks are not disowned or clarified, they create a perception of executive complicity.

Ukeje maintained that the ADC leadership transition was conducted in line with the law, warning that actions capable of weakening opposition politics could have broader implications for democracy.

Act not illegal, but ethically wrong – Lawyer

A Kano-based lawyer, Barrister Umar Usman Danbaito, reacting to the viral video, said it raises questions about political ethics and the conduct of public office holders.

He noted that the practice of infiltrating rival political parties to weaken them is not new in Nigerian politics, adding that politicians often combine legal and tactical strategies to gain advantage.

“Legally speaking, there is nothing unusual about a politician planting his stooge in another political party with the intention of disrupting its activities. It is part of politics,” he said.

However, Danbaito stressed that while such conduct may not be illegal, it is ethically questionable.

“Ethically, it would be wrong for a public office holder to be seen or recorded encouraging another person to instigate chaos and instability in another party. Politically, there may be no issue, but ethically, it is wrong,” he said.

He argued that Nigerian political practice is often driven more by survival instincts than moral considerations.

“Politicians don’t usually abide by moral standards. They use whatever means available, whether legal or political manoeuvres, to gain advantage,” he added.

Analyst suggests ruling party behind crisis

Political analyst Jide Ojo also condemned the remarks attributed to Gbajabiamila, describing them as offensive and troubling.

Speaking in an interview, he said the alleged statement urging a politician to remain in the ADC and work to destabilise it raises concerns about the neutrality expected of top government officials.

“Telling someone to stay in a party and scatter it from within is an absurd thought,” he said.

Ojo said the development appears to reinforce suspicions that the ruling party may be involved in opposition crises.

“What is unfolding suggests the ruling party may be sponsoring, at least in part, instability in the ADC. This is one of the confirmations of that belief,” he said.

He added that such tactics are not new in Nigeria’s political history, describing them as part of a Machiavellian approach where “the end justifies the means.”

While condemning the alleged remarks, Ojo said it was concerning for a government elected on the promise of change to be linked to such political strategies.

Prof Hassan Saliu, the National President of the Nigerian Political Science Association, cautioned political actors against the use of provocative language.

He warned that such remarks could be misinterpreted in Nigeria’s fragile political climate.

“Statements in politics may not always carry their precise meaning, but when you use words like ‘scatter,’ it can easily be interpreted as promoting something negative,” Saliu said.

“A public office holder does not necessarily need to say everything on his mind. Even if that was not the intention, such a statement can be misunderstood, especially in a country like Nigeria where the political atmosphere is already charged,” he added.

He stressed that while the remark may not have been intended as a literal call to destabilise the opposition, it reflects “a moment of tension rather than a deliberate agenda.”

“I don’t think the Chief of Staff meant he should go and literally scatter the opposition. But the choice of words is important. In Nigeria, many people may not interpret such statements with nuance,” he said.

The professor warned that such comments could reinforce ongoing allegations that the ruling party is working to weaken opposition structures.

Saliu urged political leaders to adopt clear and straightforward messaging to avoid deepening tensions.

“In a country with a large number of politically sensitive and sometimes less-informed citizens, clarity is key. Leaders must speak in a way that does not create confusion or escalate political tension,” he added.