The Presidency has dismissed allegations that President Bola Tinubu is orchestrating a one-party state, labeling such claims as alarmist and baseless. The statement comes in response to growing concerns over recent high-profile defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, addressed the issue on Sunday, rejecting speculations fueled by the defections of prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) figures, including former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and current Governor Sheriff Oborevwori. Additionally, Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno’s public support for Tinubu has intensified debates about Nigeria’s political landscape.
“We have read the alarming claims of disgruntled opposition figures and partisan human rights crusaders over recent defections into the APC,” Onanuga said. “These shifts have thrown the opposition into disarray, but their accusations of a one-party state are false and exaggerated.”
Onanuga emphasized that Nigeria’s democracy remains robust, with no policies or actions from the Presidency aimed at dismantling opposition or fostering authoritarianism. He criticized the opposition for attributing their organizational failures to alleged bribery and coercion, calling such claims unfounded.
The Presidency also highlighted the hypocrisy of opposition leaders who celebrated regional coalitions against Tinubu, such as the defection of former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), but now decry similar political shifts as threats to democracy. “Freedom of association and choice are cherished democratic ideals,” Onanuga stated, defending the right of politicians to join the APC voluntarily.
Onanuga praised Tinubu’s democratic credentials, citing his history of strengthening opposition platforms that led to the defeat of a sitting president in 2015. He urged Nigerians to support the administration’s reforms and ignore “alarmists drawing narratives from fiction.”
As political maneuvering intensifies, the Presidency called for unity in protecting Nigeria’s democracy and respecting citizens’ political choices.
