Presidency Rejects Claims of Authoritarianism, Calls on Opposition to Own Up to Failures

In a strong response to opposition criticisms, President Bola Tinubu’s office yesterday dismissed allegations that his government is steering Nigeria towards a one-party state or authoritarian rule. The statement, issued by Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, urged opposition parties to “lick their wounds” and stop blaming the President for their inability to manage their internal affairs effectively.

The Presidency highlighted the irony in celebrating defections of APC members like former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai to opposition parties while condemning defections from opposition parties to the APC. It described such reactions as “hypocrisy writ large.”

The statement also addressed recent defections of prominent opposition figures, including governors and former vice presidential candidates, which it said caused disarray among opposition ranks. “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,” it said.

Accusations of bribery, blackmail, and weaponisation of state institutions were dismissed as “existing only in the idle minds of politicians and their agents who have failed in their assigned role of opposition.”

The Presidency reaffirmed that democracy remains strong under Tinubu’s leadership and that Nigeria’s multiparty system will continue to flourish. It called on Nigerians to reject alarmist narratives and support the government’s efforts to strengthen democratic foundations.