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President Bola Tinubu has pushed back against allegations that his administration is orchestrating the collapse of opposition parties, declaring that he neither coerced politicians into defecting nor used state power to silence dissent.
Speaking during an interfaith Iftar with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President addressed growing criticism that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is benefiting from pressure allegedly mounted on opposition figures to switch allegiance.
“Critics must talk. When they accused me of killing the opposition, but I didn’t have a gun. I could have given myself a licence when I have the authority,” Tinubu said.
The President’s remarks come amid a wave of defections from opposition parties to the APC, developments that have fueled claims from critics that the political space is being tilted in favour of the ruling party.
Rejecting the accusations, Tinubu maintained that politicians who defected did so out of personal conviction rather than compulsion.
“But I can’t blame anybody for jumping out of a sinking ship if they did,” he said, suggesting that internal crises within opposition parties may be responsible for the movement of members.
Tinubu also linked the country’s political tensions to broader national security challenges, particularly terrorism and banditry, which he described as destabilising factors.
“What we have faced in the challenging period of this country, the terrorism and banditry, is causing us havoc,” the President stated.
He urged political leaders across party lines to prioritise unity and democratic consolidation, emphasizing that Nigeria’s constitutional framework was designed to foster cooperation rather than conflict.
“And we should pull together, unite in a way that our forefathers contemplated to bring about a constitutional democracy and pull us together. They didn’t say we should fight. It’s a good thing that we are working in harmony,”he said.
