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By Myke Agunwa
President Bola Tinubu has dismissed the allegations from opposition parties and the coalition that democracy in Nigeria is under threat following the mass defection into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in recently.
Only last week, the entire executives of Delta State led by the governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, the former vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the 2023 election, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and the principal political actors in Delta and Rivers States emptied into the ruling APC.
Similarly, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno of PDP openly declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election project.
There are also reports that the leader of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara and more PDP governors and National Assembly members will join the ruling party in the months ahead.
However. President Tinubu in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy) Bayo Onanuga said that freedom of association is enshrined in the constitution.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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” the statement reads.
It went further to state that no policy of the present administration suggests any anti-democratic posture of stifling of opposition. It also dismissed the allegation that members of the opposition parties were offered financial inducements to join the ruling party.
“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.
“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” he said.
The statement expressed curiosity 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.
It added that while the opposition elements are heartbroken over the failure of their fabled grand coalition to gain traction, 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 the country.
According to the statement, President Tinubu and the National Working Committee of the APC, deserve commendation for making the ruling party viable and attractive to all Nigerians willing to participate in the democratic process.
It urged all Nigerians to join hands with the administration in protecting democracy by respecting the people’s choices and giving alarmists, who draw their narratives from the pool of fiction, a wide berth.