The president has declared that switching political parties is a common practice for politicians and that it is not unique to Nigeria. This is because it refuted claims that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is attempting to impose a one-party system.
The opposition parties are in disarray as a result of recent major defections into the All Progressives Congress (APC), including those of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former Peoples Democratic Party vice presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa, according to a statement released on Sunday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy. However, the statement stated that the Tinubu government is dedicated to advancing democracy and bringing about prosperity in Nigeria, despite opposition figures’ assertions that the country’s democracy is in danger due to the increasing number of people defecting to the APC.
Additionally, it criticized the opposition coalition that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had created, claiming that it had not gained traction. We have heard about the recent defections of important opposition party members into the ruling All Progressives Congress, which has alarmed some partisan human rights advocates, emergency defenders of democracy, and disgruntled opposition individuals. “The opposition and their supporters were thrown into disarray by the seismic shift brought about by Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno’s open declaration of support for President Bola Tinubu, the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the Peoples Democratic Party’s former vice presidential candidate in the most recent election, and the main political actors in Delta and Rivers States.”
We find it troubling that the opposition elements turned to spreading false accusations of supporting a one-party state against President Bola Tinubu, who is making a concerted effort to undo decades of economic mismanagement in our nation, even though they are understandably devastated by the failure of their storied grand coalition to gain traction. “Nigeria’s democracy is not under danger, notwithstanding the misleading statements made in the propaganda materials that are widely shared on social media and mainstream media. The statement said, “Accusations that the administration is becoming more authoritarian are unfounded and overblown.”
Managing opposition affairs is not Tinubu’s responsibility. The statement went on to say that if opposition politicians fail to lead their parties and their supporters keep switching to the ruling APC, President Tinubu cannot be held accountable.
Onanuga, however, clarified that no action, directive or policy of the current administration is targeted at dismantling democracy or weakening opposition in Nigeria.
He stressed that the freedom of association of defecting politicians has to be respected, adding that the defectors are being attracted by the good works President Tinubu and other leaders of the APC are doing.
“We must add that no policy, official action, or directive from the Presidency seeks to “dismantle democracy” or “weaken opposition or create a one-party state.” Accusations of bribery, blackmail, and the weaponisation of state institutions only exist in the idle minds of politicians and their agents who have failed in their assigned role of opposition and are fishing for scapegoats.The opposition cannot blame President Tinubu and the governing APC for their poor organisation, indiscipline, and gross incompetence in managing their affairs. It is certainly not part of President Tinubu’s job to organise or strengthen opposition parties.
“We find it curious that those who celebrated the defection of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the formation of a regional grand coalition with the sole aim of defeating President Tinubu in the 2027 election are the same people shedding crocodile tears over Nigeria’s so-called drift to a one-party state and authoritarianism.
“While the latter-day defenders of democracy raised no anxious voice against the disgruntled politicians cobbling an anti-Tinubu, anti-APC coalition along dangerous regional lines, even before INEC blows the whistle for party politicking, they are quick to ascribe the political shifts in some states to “bribery, blackmail, and coercion” without any shred of evidence.Without any equivocation, freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of choice are part of the cherished ideals of democracy. When politicians and citizens cannot freely join any association or political party of their choice or cannot openly express their views, democracy is imperilled. Those opposed to the Tinubu administration should understand that they can issue diatribes, without fear, against the government because we practice a thriving democracy.
“It is hypocrisy writ large when opposition politicians and their collaborators in the ‘human rights’ movement desire that the party of the President should implode so they can gain electoral advantage and cry wolf when their wish does not materialise.
“We want to state that democracy is not threatened or undermined simply because politicians exercise their rights to freedom of association. Nigerians migrating to the APC and expressing support for Tinubu are doing so out of their free will, based on the belief that the reforms being executed are in the interest of Nigerians and the unborn generation. It is a gross disservice to democracy in itself for these emergency defenders of democracy to delegitimise the political choices of some Nigerians while upholding the choices of others to form a coalition against Tinubu and APC.
Under President Tinubu, democracy is strong, and the multiparty democratic system will continue to flourish unhindered. His administration remains resolutely committed to upholding and strengthening the democratic foundations upon which our Fourth Republic has stood since 1999
“Politicians changing party affiliation is not new or peculiar to Nigeria. In more advanced democracies, there are ready examples of notable politicians, statesmen and women who changed their parties.
“President Tinubu and the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, deserve commendation for making the ruling party viable and attractive to all Nigerians willing to participate in the democratic process.A self-declared Democrat, President Tinubu is a strong supporter of multiparty democracy. He is a proven advocate of multiparty democracy, as seen by his political activism and democratic credentials in uniting and fortifying opposition platforms as a force that overthrew the then-ruling party and a sitting president. The message ended by urging all Nigerians to work with the government to safeguard our democracy by honoring the decisions made by our people and avoiding alarmists who base their arguments on fabrication.
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