Hadi Sirika, the former Minister of Aviation, has denied any reports that suggested he was involved in an opposition coalition aimed at removing Bola Tinubu as President in the 2027 elections.
Sirika responded to the reports in a Wednesday morning appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, rejecting the allegations and clarifying that he had no associations with the political movement that included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. According to Sirika, the suggestion of him being a member of the coalition originated from unsubstantiated reports that became evident following his visit to the Presidential Villa.
“I was at the Villa yesterday (Tuesday) with presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, and he told me that I was now part of the coalition. I told him to his face that I was not, and I will never be. He claimed he got it from the reports. I don’t know what coalition is, people can join coalition, it is democracy! But I am not part of that,” Sirika said.
Sirika’s disavowal comes as the political theatre escalates in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as opposition figures temporarily align themselves and coordinate their efforts to show unified political ground ahead of the 2027’s elections. In July, Atiku Abubakar and members of his political terrain, such as members of the PDP that were members of the party since its inception in 1999, adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as an electable party platform, arguing that they could deliver “competent, capable and compassionate leadership” for Nigerians.
Since then, the coalition of opposition has invited some significant categories of political names to include Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State, was mentioned in the coalition category, along with David Mark, who leads the ADC as National Chairman and has been President of the Senate.
However, Sirika appeared to maintain loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while rejecting claims that he would either relinquish that membership to engage in another political investment. He also rejected claims that his visit to meet with President Tinubu was somehow associated with his personal ongoing public corruption trial collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and indicated that he visited to condole with Mr. President regarding his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari’s demise, and to re-affirm President Tinubus opportunity to maintain the honour for his late predecessor.
The former minister and aviation sector figure has consistently faced scrutiny since leaving office in 2023. The EFCC accused him of abuse of office, given he awarded billions of naira in aviation contracts to companies that belonged to his family members, including his daughter Fatima Sirika, and by extend, her husband Jalal Hamma. However, he maintained in his answer that he will not also speak on the case explaining that it was prejudicial as it has since been reviewed by court.
Sirika’s direct disavowals have illustrated that he remains aligned to the APC leadership and former president Buhari, while the opposition coalition continues to garner relevance. Likewise, his statements minimizing potential alignment with the Atiku bloc appear to be a contribution to advancing unity within the ruling APC party and try to not inflame speculation about activation of a third party base for the political landscape leading to the 2027 elections.
Sirika was reiterating his position to eliminate any reports related to him being part of the opposition, and to assert that there are no alliances between him and the aliance he says he is not affiliated with – thus indicating that he is still committed to support President Tinubu’s administration, and also prepared for the political trajectory of a new tenor toward the next general elections.