Senate President Godswill Akpabio says President Bola Tinubu is unhappy with the growing disarray within Nigeria’s opposition parties and wishes to see a more vibrant political opposition thrive in the country.
Akpabio made this statement on Wednesday, June 25, during the inauguration of the Arterial Road N20 Interchange Bridges in Abuja, where he said Tinubu is concerned about the lack of unity in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party.
“However you people got yourself into this confusion, try and get yourself out of it very quickly,” Akpabio said.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR is interested in seeing a vibrant opposition. As a true democrat, we would like to see a very vibrant opposition in the country. It saddens him when he sees the way the opposition in Nigeria is in disarray.”
But the Senate President’s remarks appear to contrast with Tinubu’s own words just two weeks ago during his State of the Nation address to a joint session of the National Assembly on June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
On that occasion, the President openly mocked the state of opposition parties, saying, “I will not advise the opposition to put its house in order and I will not help them put their house in order. It is indeed a pleasure to see you in disarray.”
READ ALSO: I Won’t Advise Opposition, Their Disarray Pleases Me — Tinubu
The contradiction between the two statements has sparked fresh debate about the President’s sincerity in fostering democratic competition.
At the Abuja event, Akpabio also referenced the PDP’s leadership crisis and the defection of Senator Neda Imasuen from the Labour Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as signs of the worsening opposition breakdown.
“Just before I came here to represent him (Tinubu), I received and read a letter from the Labour Party. So it’s not only PDP that is in disarray.
“Even the Labour Party is cracked. And people who are strong members of the Labour Party are angling to run Nigeria when they cannot put a small political party like that in order,” he said.
He added that Imasuen’s formal defection earlier in the day was welcome and symbolic of the APC’s open-door policy.
“I’m not tired. I’m happy to receive them because our doors are open in the All Progressive Congress. So congratulations to Imasuen, who has decided to leave the fractured Labour Party to join the APC,” Akpabio stated.