Osita Okechukwu Criticizes ADC Over Opposition to Nigeria’s UN Security Council Seat Proposal

As Nigeria celebrates its 65th Independence anniversary, Osita Okechukwu, foundation member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), has sharply criticized the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for opposing President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a permanent seat for Nigeria on the United Nations Security Council.

Okechukwu condemned the ADC’s stance as “unpatriotic, incongruous, and the height of ignorance,” arguing that equating Nigeria’s aspiration for global leadership with its domestic security challenges is misguided and disingenuous.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Okechukwu endorsed Vice President Kashim Shettima’s landmark speech at the UN, in which Shettima declared: “Our case for a permanent seat at the Security Council is a demand for fairness, for African representation, and for reform that restores credibility to the very institution upon which the hope of multilateralism rests.”

Describing Shettima’s statement as a “bold, visionary call,” Okechukwu emphasized that Nigeria deserves its rightful place on the world stage as Africa’s representative. He recalled that Nigerians fought alongside Allied forces in World War II, who later secured permanent seats at the UN Security Council.

Okechukwu lamented that the ADC had become a recurring obstacle to national unity and progress, branding its actions as a series of “unforced errors” that undermine the country’s interests.

The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, had earlier criticized the Tinubu administration’s bid, stating: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) finds it absurd that the Tinubu administration could be requesting a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council even as bandits slaughter Nigerians at home and take control of some of the nation’s territories.

“We wonder how a government that cannot ensure peace or security at home could demand a seat at the table where global security is negotiated and expect to be taken seriously.”

In response, Okechukwu stressed that Nigeria’s internal security challenges should not diminish its hard-earned international reputation. He argued that every great nation balances domestic struggles with strategic global ambitions.

“This UN Security Council seat is not for Bola Tinubu’s Emilokan, but a strategic asset for Nigeria and Africa — a step towards resorgimento, where our voice is heard and we participate in shaping global peace and security,” Okechukwu stated.

He described ADC’s ridicule of the quest as “short-sighted” and “purely unpatriotic,” urging the party to reflect on its divisive stance.

Okechukwu concluded by calling on the ADC leadership to apologize to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which it had earlier undermined, and encouraged ADC to unite with PDP to form a formidable opposition for the sake of Nigeria’s democracy.