USAfricaonline.com : Reports and claims that the Nigerian President and his political party, the All Progressives Congress, are on a mission to push for massive defections of politicians from the Peoples Democratic Party and other opposition parties to create a momentum for a second term for President Bola Tinubu have been denied by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.
In the statement titled “Democracy Strong and Alive in Nigeria”, Onanuga stated that “The opposition cannot blame President Tinubu and the governing APC for their poor organisation, indiscipline, and gross incompetence in managing their affairs…. While the opposition elements are understandably heartbroken and disillusioned over the failure of their fabled grand coalition to gain traction, we find it disturbing that they resorted to peddling false allegations of the promotion of a one-party state against President Bola Tinubu, who is working very hard to reverse decades of economic mismanagement of our country. Contrary to the false claims in the sponsored 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.’”
The Presidency added that “When politicians and citizens can not 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 democracy. We urge all Nigerians to join hands with the administration in protecting our democracy by respecting their choices and giving a wide berth to peddlers of alarming narratives rooted in fiction,”
Tinubu’s key opponents in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar (of the PDP) and Peter Obi (of the Labour Party) have joined in making allegations regarding Tinubu’s moves ahead of the 2027 elections. USAfricaonline.com has a couple of commentaries and reports on the issue.
