Amid growing fractures within Nigeria’s leading opposition parties, former senator and political commentator Shehu Sani has issued a blunt rebuke, urging the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and others to stop blaming President Bola Tinubu for their internal woes.
Appearing on The Morning Brief aired by Channels Television on Wednesday, Sani criticized what he called a “culture of scapegoating” among the opposition, warning that failing to resolve their internal divisions while accusing external forces of sabotage is both “illogical and irresponsible.”
“If there is a problem in the PDP, it’s for the PDP to solve,” Sani said pointedly. “The same applies to the Labour Party, the SDP, and the NNPP. It’s absurd to blame President Tinubu for issues clearly rooted in party mismanagement.”
The past year has seen a steady defection of opposition figures—governors, lawmakers, and party stalwarts—to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Many cited unresolved internal disputes and poor leadership within their parties as key reasons for their departure.
Opposition parties, however, have accused the APC of exploiting these weaknesses, alleging that President Tinubu and his allies are deliberately engineering chaos to dismantle opposition structures.
Sani was dismissive of such claims.
“If you’re in the PDP and you refuse to discipline saboteurs in your party, you have only yourselves to blame,” he said. “You can’t demand the president come and manage your party for you. That’s not only unrealistic—it’s unserious.”
According to the former lawmaker, it would be politically naïve to expect the president to help his adversaries regroup.
“It’s not in Tinubu’s interest to repair a gun that could be aimed at him,” Sani added. “Disorganization in the opposition is part of the political game. If your adversary is in chaos, why intervene?”
Senator Sani’s comments echo sentiments expressed by President Tinubu during his June 12 Democracy Day address, where he mocked the fractured state of Nigeria’s opposition.
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In a veiled dig, Tinubu described opposition parties as “sinking ships,” declaring that he had no intention of helping them stay afloat.
“It is indeed a pleasure to witness you in such disarray,” Tinubu told lawmakers during a joint National Assembly session.
Political analysts say the infighting could severely weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
If they fail to present a united front, they risk ceding more ground to the APC, which has already made significant inroads into traditional opposition strongholds.
For the opposition, the message is clear: before aiming fire at Tinubu, they may need to douse the flames in their own camps.