The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, has dismissed the newly formed coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing its leading members including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as “a bunch of jokers.”

Osifo made the statement on Wednesday during an interview on TUC Half Hour, a programme aired on Channels Television. He criticized the coalition’s composition and questioned the sincerity and track records of its members ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“For us in the TUC, we are not part of the coalition,” Osifo said. “We’ve been having the same story over and again since democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999, yet we’ve not been better off for it.”

Referencing the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, Osifo said similar promises of change were made, but ultimately led to disappointment. “That gave birth to APC, and the PDP was kicked out in 2015 for President Muhammadu Buhari to be elected. Most of them are the same actors in the ADC today,” he stated.

According to him, the newly-formed coalition is merely a recycled alliance of old political actors presenting themselves in new packaging.

“What has been the track record of the people leading the so-called coalition? You have someone who was vice president for eight years what did he do? Another was Senate President for eight years — what laws did he influence to transform the country? Nothing,” Osifo said. “Then you have the former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, in that coalition. These are all jokers, I dare to say.”

The TUC president argued that what Nigeria needs is not another recycled political bloc, but genuine electoral reform and leadership renewal. He urged Nigerians to focus on establishing a fair and credible electoral system.

“I think what Nigerians should focus on is how to bring about an electoral reform where one vote will truly count and results will not be written,” Osifo added. “That is what Nigerians should be interested in today.”

He also emphasized the importance of looking beyond familiar faces and prioritising leaders who are willing to take risks and commit to restructuring the country.

On the state of the economy, Osifo expressed concern that despite claims of GDP growth, the realities of inflation, job insecurity, and low wages continue to plague ordinary citizens.

Addressing the ongoing tax reforms by the federal government, he said the initiative is welcome in principle but warned that it must not target the unemployed or deepen hardship for the poor.