Nigerian Tribune editorial in the "Nigerian Tribune" that accused the ACN of imposing its candidates in the party primaries for the forthcoming national elections. An ACN spokesman called the paper a front for the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Indeed since Nigeria's new democratic journey, the newspaper has engaged in running battle with some political group which styled itself as " progressives " but which curiously has consistently used the name of the newspaper's founder, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, one of Nigeria's foremost nationalists, to campaign for votes. The progressives who formed the nucleus of Alliance for Democracy (AD),and later Action Congress and Action
Nigerian Merchant Navy Edema describing the Tribune report as a "baseless tissues of lies meant to mislead the public, incite public hatred and misgiving against the Nigeria Merchant navy who go about their legitimate business within the law". Edema went on to claim the Navy was involved in various illegal activities. He also accused the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency of accepting pay-offs from foreign-owned ships who should have been employing Nigerian seamen. He agreed that the NMA had been engaged in training, but said the training was in seafaring and basic maritime safety and security. In August 2010 "Commodore" Aderemi Olatinwo,