The Presidency has clarified that recent defections of opposition politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are voluntary and not done under duress, contrary to widespread speculation.
In a statement issued Sunday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, the Presidency reaffirmed that democracy in Nigeria is neither under threat nor undermined simply because politicians choose to exercise their freedom of association.
“Nigerians migrating to the APC and expressing support for Tinubu are doing so out of their free will, based on the belief that the reforms being executed are in the interest of Nigerians and the unborn generation,” Onanuga said.
The statement follows the high-profile defection last Wednesday of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, several commissioners, and local government chairmen, among others, to the APC.
Notably, Okowa — who served as the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate in the last general election — joining the APC marks another major loss for the opposition party.
Meanwhile, internal crises continue to rock other opposition groups, such as the Labour Party and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), raising concerns about their ability to mount a serious challenge to the ruling party in 2027.
Responding to claims that these defections are being orchestrated by the APC, the Presidency dismissed the allegations.
“The opposition cannot blame President Tinubu and the governing APC for their poor organisation, indiscipline, and gross incompetence in managing their affairs. It is certainly not part of President Tinubu’s job to organise or strengthen opposition parties,” Onanuga said.
The statement also criticized what it described as hypocrisy by those who celebrated defections away from the APC but now decry political shifts favoring the ruling party.
“We find it curious that those who celebrated the defection of former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to the SDP and the formation of a regional grand coalition to defeat President Tinubu in 2027, are the same people shedding crocodile tears over Nigeria’s so-called drift to a one-party state and authoritarianism,” it said.
Onanuga emphasized that political realignments are part of democratic culture, both in Nigeria and globally.
“Without any equivocation, freedom of association, freedom of speech, and freedom of choice are part of the cherished ideals of democracy,” he added. “When politicians and citizens cannot freely join any association or political party of their choice or cannot openly express their views, democracy is imperiled.”
The statement maintained that opposition figures continue to criticize President Tinubu openly, underscoring that democracy in Nigeria remains vibrant.
“It is hypocrisy writ large when opposition politicians and their collaborators in the ‘human rights’ movement desire that the party of the President should implode so they can gain electoral advantage and cry wolf when their wish does not materialise,” Onanuga noted.
He stressed that under President Tinubu’s leadership, democracy in Nigeria is strong and that the multiparty system remains intact.
“His administration remains resolutely committed to upholding and strengthening the democratic foundations upon which our Fourth Republic has stood since 1999. Politicians changing party affiliation is not new or peculiar to Nigeria,” Onanuga said, citing global examples.
He also commended President Tinubu and APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje for making the APC “viable and attractive” to Nigerians willing to participate in the democratic process.
“President Tinubu is an avowed democrat and a firm believer in multiparty democracy. His political activism and democratic credentials in galvanising and strengthening opposition platforms as a force that defeated a sitting President and the then ruling party attest to his credibility as a tested defender of multiparty democracy.”
The Presidency concluded by calling on Nigerians to respect political choices and shun alarmists who, it said, rely on fiction rather than fact.