The Presidency has rejected recent allegations from opposition figures and some human rights activists that the country is drifting toward a one-party state following a series of high-profile defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Sunday, described such claims as baseless, exaggerated, and politically motivated.
The statement emphasized that no policy or directive from the Presidency aims to dismantle democracy, weaken opposition parties, or create a one-party system.
Onanuga dismissed accusations of bribery, blackmail, and the weaponization of state institutions as products of “idle minds” of frustrated politicians who have failed to organize effective opposition.
“The opposition cannot blame President Tinubu and the APC for their poor organization, indiscipline, and incompetence,” he said. “It is certainly not part of President Tinubu’s job to organize or strengthen opposition parties.”
“Those who cheered the defection of former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai to the Social Democratic Party and the formation of an anti-Tinubu coalition are the same people shedding crocodile tears over Nigeria’s so-called drift to authoritarianism,” Onanuga noted.
The Presidency reaffirmed that freedom of association, speech, and choice remain fundamental democratic rights in Nigeria. Citizens and politicians are free to join any party or express views without fear, and such freedoms are the bedrock of a thriving democracy.
“When politicians and citizens cannot freely join any political party or express their views, democracy is imperiled. But in Nigeria, those opposed to the Tinubu administration can issue diatribes without fear because democracy is alive and well,” Onanuga said.
He further criticised opposition politicians and some human rights activists for seeking the implosion of the ruling party for electoral gain while falsely crying wolf when their wishes do not materialize.
“It is a gross disservice to democracy to delegitimize the political choices of Nigerians who freely migrate to the APC while upholding the choices of others to form coalitions against the party and President Tinubu,” he added.
Onanuga praised President Tinubu’s democratic credentials, recalling his political activism that helped galvanize opposition forces in the past and his commitment to multiparty democracy.
“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,” he concluded.
The statement called on all Nigerians to respect political choices and reject alarmist narratives based on fiction, urging unity in protecting Nigeria’s democracy.
