The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fired back at a former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, accusing him and other leading opposition figures of undermining Nigeria’s democratic space with baseless allegations and a lack of leadership.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party dismissed Mr Tambuwal’s recent claims during a televised interview that President Bola Tinubu and the APC were orchestrating moves to destabilise opposition parties.
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Tambuwal’s claims about APC and the 2027 election
In a televised appearance on Channels Television programme, “Politics Today” aired on Friday, Mr Tambuwal accused Mr Tinubu and the APC of actively orchestrating efforts to undermine opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party.
He claimed that the signs of destabilisation are “very clear,” insisting he was not merely speculating.
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“I am not accusing them. I am saying they are involved in efforts aimed at destabilisation of opposition parties,” he declared
Mr Tambuwal, a serving senator and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, also portrayed the plan to unseat Mr Tinubu not as a regional or fringe movement, but as a “national consensus” refuting claims that it was driven by northern interests.
He affirmed his commitment to the coalition, stating, “I am fully involved in a process democratically and lawfully that will end, by the grace of God, in sending this government out of office. With the help of God and Nigeria, we will send these people out of office,” adding that it is “not cast in stone” that Mr Tinubu cannot be defeated in 2027.
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Further elaborating on the strategy for the 2027 election, he stressed that opposition unity is key to defeating Mr Tinubu.
He warned that if heavyweight candidates such as former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi, and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso contest the 2027 presidential election separately, it would undermine the opposition’s strength and almost assure victory for Mr Tinubu.
APC fires back
Mr Morka, in the statement, described Mr Tambuwal’s allegation that the APC was destabilising the opposition as unsubstantiated, stating that the former governor and his allies were the true architects of the opposition’s dwindling fortunes.
According to the statement, Mr Tambuwal and other key opposition leaders, including Atiku, ex-Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, had all failed to provide purposeful leadership to their parties.
“It is perplexing that these opposition leaders, who have occupied some of the highest political offices in our country, have failed horridly and disgracefully to provide leadership, purpose, direction and vitality to their parties.
“Without effective leadership, opposition parties cannot perform their ascribed role of promoting accountability of governance or its role to provide credible policy alternatives or extending cooperation to the ruling party in pursuit of progress, and achieving the common good,” Mr Morka said.
EFCC case and political blackmail
The statement also touched on Mr Tambuwal’s ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged cash withdrawals totalling ₦189 billion, reportedly in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
Mr Morka rejected Mr Tambuwal’s suggestion that his arrest and probe were politically motivated, saying the former governor was attempting to use “emotional blackmail” to evade accountability.
“Tambuwal must believe that his status as an opposition politician confers some kind of immunity from investigation or prosecution by anti-corruption agencies. No member of the political opposition is above the law, just like no citizen is above the law.
“Resorting to emotional blackmail against the government as a device to shield himself or anyone from lawful scrutiny, investigation or prosecution for suspected heinous economic crimes will not and should not cut it as opposition sacred cows,” he said.
Internal cracks within the opposition
Mr Morka also mocked the opposition’s attempts to form a coalition ahead of the 2027 elections, describing it as a fragile alliance weakened by internal strife and competing egos.
“The opposition’s attempt at building a coalition remains a figment that is not coalescing due to the hostile takeover of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that is now unravelling in crippling dimensions, and the competing selfishness, desperation and arrogance of its leaders,” he said.
Mr Morka added that opposition parties were “rudderless at sea” as members continue to defect in large numbers, weakening their chances of mounting a credible challenge in future polls.
2027 elections and APC’s position
Looking ahead, the ruling party expressed confidence that Nigerians would once again reject the opposition at the ballot box.
“With nothing of value to offer Nigerians, these opposition elements have now turned political prophets, trumpeting their base wishes and 2027 predictions that only truly portend the devastating defeat that awaits them,” the statement read.
The APC stressed that Mr Tinubu remained focused on governance, noting his administration’s ongoing reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s economic foundations.
“As a party, we will continue to strengthen our internal democratic systems to stand stronger and serve Nigerians better, while as a government, President Tinubu remains resolute and focused on rebuilding generationally neglected foundations of our economic life and repositioning the country for sustainable progress,” Mr Morka concluded.
A long-running political rivalry
The latest confrontation between Mr Tambuwal and the ruling party did not emerge in isolation. It comes on the back of a long-running political rivalry.
In 2018, Mr Tambuwal dramatically defected from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), denouncing the ruling party as a “sanctuary for the corrupt.”
His exit, coming at a time of rising tensions within the APC, was seen as a major blow. Mr Tinubu himself dismissed the defection as an act driven by Mr Tambuwal’s “personal ambition” to secure the presidency.
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Since then, Mr Tambuwal has remained one of the APC’s most persistent critics. Earlier this year, in February, he declared that “no politician with a conscience” would join the APC, arguing that its recent wave of defections was powered only by “stomach infrastructure” and personal survival, not patriotism.
Those comments provoked an immediate backlash from APC figures, including former Voice of Nigeria DG, Osita Okechukwu, who accused Mr Tambuwal of hypocrisy and of undermining national political stability.
It is against this backdrop of entrenched political animosity that Mr Tambuwal’s latest allegations of APC interference in opposition affairs appear to have triggered the party’s sharp response.
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