According to rights activist Senator Shehu Sani, the majority of opposition leaders criticizing President Bola Tinubu are motivated more by resentment over their lack of ambition and power than by compassion for the people.
When Sani appeared on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, he made this claim.
Additionally, he characterized the opposition leaders as members of the same ruling elite that they now purport to oppose.
“It’s not about the country or the people — it’s just about being excluded from the system,” the former Kaduna Central MP stated when a bunch of disgruntled individuals band together because they are frustrated.
“It’s not that they are now Marxists or trade unionists confronting a capitalist order — they’re all from the same bourgeois political class.
“They use every opportunity to weaponise our challenges and present themselves as a better alternative, but many of them have been in power since 1999.”
He criticised efforts to build coalitions against Tinubu ahead of 2027.
Regarding the issue inside the opposition parties, Sani stated that blaming Tinubu for problems within the PDP, NNPP, SDP, or LP is “irresponsible.”
He cautioned that expecting Tinubu to solve his opponents’ issues would be naïve.
The opposition’s reliance on the president to address their issues is regrettable. It is irresponsible to blame the president if there is an issue within the PDP, NNPP, SDP, or any other party and there are members who are working against the party but you won’t expel or suspend them.
The PDP, NNPP, LP, and SDP ought to address its internal issues and cease focusing on the president. They won’t be able to function as an opposition until then,” he stated.
“As president of the ruling party, he cannot be expected to fix the very machine that would be turned against him politically. It is a political strategy — just like in football — you want your opponent distracted with internal problems,” he said.
On Nigeria’s Democracy Day, Sani praised Tinubu’s contribution to the June 12 struggle, calling it “unequalled and unparalleled.”
“This award is not about us but about June 12. It is an encouragement for Nigerians to make sacrifices,” he added.
“Someone who supported, funded, and participated in protests should have a government that is tolerant of protestation,” he added, urging the president to continue to allow public protests.
Sani rejected the idea that Tinubu’s government was similar to military authority.
“Those who liken Tinubu’s administration to military power are minimizing the facts. Although democracy is not perfect yet, we have come a long way,” he remarked.
Sani cautioned against taking dramatic measures in response to the political turmoil in Rivers State.
He pointed out that the concept of a state of emergency is merely an effort to find a solution and provide a forum for communication.
Tinubu proclaimed a state of emergency in Rivers in March, suspending important officials and designating an administrator to manage the territory.
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