President Bola Tinubu on Sunday,
told the opposition elements in the country to lick their wounds and stop
blaming him for their alleged gross incompetence to manage the affairs of their
party.
The President also said
politicians changing party affiliation is not new or peculiar to Nigeria,
pointing out that in more advanced democracies, there are ready examples of
notable politicians, statesmen and women who changed their parties.
He further stated that the
accusations that the administration is moving towards authoritarianism are
baseless and exaggerated, adding that democracy in the country is not in any
way being said to be under threat.
The President, who spoke via a
statement issued by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, wondered while the defection
of some members of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, like
the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, to the
Social Democratic Party, SDP, should be celebrated, while the defection of some
members of the opposition party should be condemned.
The statement titled: “Democracy
strong and alive in Nigeria, ignore alarmists”, partly read: “We have read the
alarming claims of disgruntled opposition figures, some partisan human rights crusaders and
emergency defenders of democracy over recent defections of key members of
opposition parties into the governing All Progressives Congress.
“The seismic shift caused by Akwa
Ibom Governor Umo Eno’s open declaration of support for President Bola Tinubu,
the defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, the former vice
presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election, Dr
Ifeanyi Okowa, and the principal political actors in Delta and Rivers States
certainly threw the opposition and their sympathisers into disarray.
“While the opposition elements
are understandably heartbroken over the failure of their fabled grand coalition
to gain traction, we find it disturbing that they resorted to peddling false
allegations of promoting a one-party State against President Bola Tinubu, who
is working very hard to reverse decades of economic mismanagement in our
country.
“Contrary to the false claims in
the propaganda materials in circulation across mainstream and social media,
democracy is not under any threat in Nigeria. Accusations that the
administration is moving towards authoritarianism are baseless and exaggerated.
“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 statement said ” 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.”
It further added: “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.”
The statement said that 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.
“President Tinubu is an avowed
democrat and a firm believer in multiparty democracy. His political activism
and democratic credentials in galvanising and strengthening opposition
platforms as a force that defeated a sitting President and the then ruling
party attest to his credibility as a tested defender of multiparty democracy,”
it said
It urged all Nigerians to join
hands with the administration in protecting the democracy by respecting the
people’s choices and giving alarmists, who draw their narratives from the pool
of fiction, a wide berth.
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