President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took a sharp swipe at Nigeria’s opposition parties during his Democracy Day address at a joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday, ridiculing them for internal crises and a wave of defections into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a speech laced with political jabs, Tinubu dismissed accusations from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) that the APC is fueling internal turmoil in opposition camps to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
“Political parties fearful of members leaving may be better served by examining their internal processes and affairs rather than fearfully conjuring up demons that do not exist,” the president said. “Try your best to put your house in order. I will not help you do so. It is, indeed, a pleasure to witness you in such disarray.”
Amid recent waves of defections, opposition parties have accused the APC of orchestrating their internal rifts. Tinubu, however, laughed off the claims, saying panic, not fact, fuels such narratives.
“To those who ring the alarm that the APC is intent on a one-party state, I offer you a most personal promise… your alarm rings in error,” he said.
He affirmed his commitment to political plurality, citing his own history of resisting one-party dominance.
“In 2003, when the then-governing party tried to sweep the nation clean of political opposition through plot and manipulation, I was the last of the progressive governors standing in my region,” Tinubu recalled. “In all their numbers and false grandeur, they boasted of ruling, not governing, Nigeria for the next half-century or more. Where are they now?”
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Dismissing claims of behind-the-scenes interference in party registration or manipulation through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu stated, “I have never attempted to alter any political party registration with INEC.”
As defections mount and party alignments shift, Tinubu’s remarks signal a growing confidence in the APC’s dominance—while firmly denying any intent to undermine Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
