President Bola Tinubu has rejected allegations that he is undermining opposition parties or steering Nigeria toward a one-party system.
The president made the remarks on Wednesday during an interfaith breakfast with senators at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he addressed concerns about the shrinking space for opposition politics.
Responding to claims that his administration is weakening rival parties, Tinubu said criticism comes with public office.
“What they call you, any name, any nickname, critics must talk. When they accused me of killing opposition, I didn’t have a gun. I could have given myself a licence seeing as I have the authority,” he said.
He stressed that the country’s pressing security challenges — including terrorism and banditry — demand unity rather than political fragmentation. According to him, national cohesion aligns with the vision of Nigeria’s founding fathers.
“But I can’t blame anybody for jumping out of a sinking ship. What we have faced in the challenging period of this country, the terrorism and banditry, is causing us havoc,” he added.
“And we should pull together, unite in a way that our forefathers contemplated to bring about a constitutional democracy and pull us together. They didn’t say we should fight. It’s a good thing that we are working in harmony.”
Tinubu also used the occasion to defend his administration’s economic policies, describing them as bold reforms implemented through collective effort to curb corruption.
“I have a lot of credit for bold reforms. Without your collaboration and inspiration, those reforms would not be possible. We are reformists together,” he said.
“What we gave up and what we stopped is monumental corruption in the subsidy system. We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption and arbitrage foreign exchange.”
He maintained that the measures have stabilised the economy and laid the groundwork for recovery.
“You don’t have to chase me for dollars; you can see what Nigeria is today. You should be proud of this great moment, and I am glad you are,” the president said.
“What we are enjoying is a stable economy, and prosperity is beckoning us. We need to work hard, and this attendance means a lot to me.”
Tinubu’s comments follow earlier jabs at opposition parties. In his 2025 Democracy Day address before a joint session of the National Assembly, he said he was pleased to see the opposition “self-immolate.”
Major opposition parties — including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) — have been battling internal crises, leading to defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The opposition has accused the APC of fuelling divisions within their ranks as part of a broader plan to entrench a one-party state — an allegation Tinubu has consistently denied.
At the APC National Executive Committee meeting in late July, the president again mocked the opposition and encouraged governors elected on other platforms to defect.
“It is not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship and be absent from a coalition of confusion,” Tinubu said.
