The ruling All Progressives Congress on Wednesday attacked a former aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, for floating a phantom “Nigerian Air’’ as a national carrier.

Mr. Buhari served two terms before handing over to his party man, President Bola Tinubu, two years ago.

The APC spokesperson, Felix Morka, in a statement, said that Mr Sirika under the Buhari administration floated a phantom airline to dupe the country.

Mr Morka derided the former aviation minister, saying, “Hadi Sirika whose tenure as aviation minister was characterised by invidious scandals, aside floating a phantom Nigerian Air.”

Mr Morka’;s statement was in reaction to the joining of a political coalition on the platform of African Democratic Congress seeking to unseat Mr Tinubu in 2027.
  
The APC spokesperson also lashed out at other members of opposition politicians in the coalition.

He stated, “From Mr. Peter Obi’s desperate vow to serve a single term of four years if elected as president, and his pledge to fly only commercial airlines as president, even though he campaigned with steeze and opulence in private jets throughout the 2023 election season; to Mallam El-Rufai who failed spectacularly in comparison to mind-blowing transformation of Abuja by the award-winning incumbent Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike; to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola whose lack-lustre performance as minister of interior is now so glaring in the face of the innovation and super efficiency introduced by the current Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; to Hadi Sirika whose tenure as aviation minister was characterised by invidious scandals, aside floating a phantom Nigerian Air, now even more disgraceful in comparison with the drastic improvements in our airports and the aviation sector, in general, under the watch of Olorogun Festus Keyamo (SAN), Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, none of the proponents of the coalition has the vision, the courage, competence, credibility, track record, zeal and patriotism to serve Nigeria better than President Bola Tinubu is already doing.’’

The APC spokesperson also debunked ADC’s claim that Mr Tinubu held a meeting to destabilise the coalition.

He stated, “Beyond the rash of poorly imagined accusations, the statement did not offer substantiation of any kind. Clearly, there was no such meeting, and certainly, no one could have been coerced or intimidated at a meeting that never was. This could have happened only in the warped imagination of masters of deception and marauding invaders of the ADC.’’

The ADC in a statement on Sunday said Mr Tinubu held  secret meetings to plot the takeover of the coalition.