The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lagos APC

  • ADC afraid of its shadow, says Lagos APC

    ADC afraid of its shadow, says Lagos APC

    Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has taken note of yet another alarmist outburst by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who now claims that Nigeria’s democracy is facing an “existential threat.”

    The party, in a statement yesterday in Ogba by its spokesman, Seye Oladejo, said: ‘’Coming from a political tendency that has repeatedly tested, stretched and strained democratic institutions, this sudden affection for democracy is as ironic as it is convenient.

    ‘’It is instructive that this apocalyptic narrative is being amplified from the stable of African Democratic Congress (ADC), a political contraption that appears unsure of its ideological footing, uncertain of its leadership direction and plainly afraid of its own shadow. Having failed to convince Nigerians at the polls, the opposition now seeks relevance by predicting the collapse of a democracy that has continued to mature despite their constant doomsday prophecies.

    ‘’Nigeria’s democracy is not under threat; what is under threat is the opposition’s fading relevance. Since May 29, 2023, democratic institutions have functioned as designed. Elections have been conducted, courts have adjudicated disputes, the legislature has exercised oversight, and citizens have continued to enjoy constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. The opposition has spoken freely, protested freely, and litigated freely-hardly the attributes of a nation under democratic siege.’’

    READ ALSO: Kano’s unfolding power game

    The statement said it was increasingly apparent that the ADC might implode under the weight of its own contradictions and inherent deceit.

    ‘’Beneath the loud rhetoric, borrowed moral outrage and manufactured alarmism lies a fragile coalition of protagonists, whose singular ambition is the Presidency-each nursing private entitlement while threatening fire and brimstone should that ambition be denied.

    ‘’No political house built on sand can withstand the inevitable internal whirlwind that follows unchecked ambition without ideology. It is therefore disingenuous to blame the ruling party for the visible desperation of ADC leaders, who already see the forthcoming elections as their final bow on the national stage.

    ‘’Perhaps it bears reminding that winning and losing are integral and inseparable components of the democratic process. Democracy does not collapse because personal ambitions are frustrated, nor is it imperilled when Nigerians refuse to mortgage their future to political expediency.’’

    Oladejo said the coalition, as presently constituted, appeared to have its expiry date engraved upon it, adding that longevity, sadly, did not appear to be its portion.

    The statement further said: ‘’What we are witnessing is not the defence of democracy, but the last convulsion of a political arrangement held together by fear, impatience and the fading relevance of its leading lights.

    ‘’Lagos APC affirms that Nigeria’s democracy remains resilient and firmly anchored under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The ongoing reforms, though demanding, are rooted in constitutional order, the rule of law, and democratic accountability-principles that cannot be wished away by those who lost the confidence of Nigerian people.

    ‘’We therefore advise Atiku Abubakar and his new political companions to confront reality honestly. Nigeria is not afraid. Democracy is not collapsing. It is only the opposition that is frightened by its own shadow-and by the unmistakable reality that Nigerians have moved on.’’

  • Obi enters coalition of chaos, says Lagos APC

    Obi enters coalition of chaos, says Lagos APC

    Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it views the formal defection of Mr. Peter Obi to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the long-awaited unveiling of a contraption deliberately assembled to undermine Nigeria.

    ‘’What has occurred is not political evolution; it is the public activation of a coalition forged in grievance, sustained by falsehood and animated by an unhealthy appetite for national dislocation,’’ the party added.

    Spokesman Seye Oladejo in a statement in Ogba, said: ‘’We congratulate the ADC that Mr. Peter Obi eventually yielded to their prolonged plea -or is it their instruction – to come on board. Either way, the pretence of independence has now been formally abandoned. The choice of venue for this declaration is also not lost on discerning, pan-Nigerian electorate who understand political coding and symbolism. Nothing about this exercise was accidental; everything was calculated.

    ‘’It is now abundantly clear that a predictable opposition can neither thrive nor have a meaningful place in a vibrant democracy. Long before this moment, even a political neophyte knew that Mr. Obi would not contest elections twice on the platform of the same political party – judging by his well-documented record of political promiscuity. ‘’His latest move merely confirms a pattern of convenience politics masquerading as principle.

    ‘’Let us be clear: ADC has not discovered ideology overnight. It has merely confirmed its true identity as a political scrapyard where rejected ambitions, electoral failures and serial aspirants converge to rehearse recycled anger. This is not a coalition of ideas; it is a cartel of convenience. It is not about Nigeria; it is about power without responsibility.

    Read Also: APC pledges renewed commitment to Nigerians

    ‘’Obi’s entry seals what Nigerians already knew. This so-called coalition was conceived with a sole beneficiary in mind – process be damned, zoning suspended, internal democracy euthanised. The loud pretence of moral purity has collapsed under the weight of naked ambition. The hypocrisy is now official.

    ‘’Indeed, Nigerians cannot but wonder when Obi will summon the courage to inform his handful of sympathisers that he has already agreed in principle to serve as a running mate to a pre-determined, perennial presidential candidate – a political factory-reset decision taken even before the coalition’s public unveiling. In this arrangement, consultation is cosmetic, participation is decorative and ambition is centrally-allocated.

    ‘’More worrisome still is the tragic symbolism with which Obi chose to end the year – by returning to the very political ecosystem he often described as a nest of criminality and corruption. Having built a brand on performative moral outrage, he has now openly embraced the same characters and structures he once condemned with evangelical fervour. History, it appears, is repeating itself: Peter Obi, like the first Peter, continues to betray the people – not under pressure, not under duress, but out of calculated self-interest. Nigerians must therefore take note: a man who can so conveniently return to his vomit, without remorse or even a whimper, cannot be trusted with the destiny of a nation. Those who choose to place their hopes in such political inconsistency do so at their own peril.

    ‘’More troubling – and Nigerians must not look away – is the shameful refusal of the principal actors in this coalition of confusion to unequivocally condemn terrorism and its many murderous offshoots. This silence is deliberate. It is a cowardly calculation designed to avoid upsetting home-based sympathies and regional comfort zones. Any political formation that cannot clearly denounce the slaughter of innocent Nigerians, for fear of losing sectional applause, has forfeited the moral right to seek national leadership. Silence in the face of terror is not neutrality; it is complicity.

    ‘’While this coalition sharpens propaganda as weapons against the Nigerian state, the APC-led Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is confronting hard truths – stabilising the economy, dismantling criminal networks, restoring investors’ confidence and rebuilding institutions weakened by years of reckless governance. One side traffics in noise, sabotage, and wishful failure; the other delivers governance.

    ‘’This explains the coalition’s obsession with exaggeration, misinformation and international pity-seeking. With no record of transformative leadership to present, chaos becomes their campaign strategy. Hardship is weaponised. National challenges are converted into talking points. They pray for failure because they have nothing credible to offer.

    ‘’Nigerians have seen this script before -and they will reject it again. No amount of political make-up, hurried alliances, or sanctimonious sermons can disguise the emptiness of this project. Democracy is not strengthened by desperation, nor is nationhood built by those who wish the country ill merely to validate their personal ambition.

    ‘’Lagos APC assures Nigerians that the Renewed Hope Agenda remains irreversible. The coming together of political weapons fashioned against Nigeria will fail spectacularly.

    ‘’At the polls, Nigerians will once again rise above deception and decisively reject their nemesis.

    ‘’The future belongs to builders, not professional complainers; to patriots, not political tourists; to courage, not cowardly silence in the face of terror.’’

  • Supreme Court verdicts not military decrees, says Lagos APC

    Supreme Court verdicts not military decrees, says Lagos APC

    Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it finds it necessary to respond to the reckless and misleading assertion credited to one Mr. Okonkwo, in which he insinuates that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ‘’can now rule Nigeria with the military” following a Supreme Court verdict relating to Rivers State.

    The party’s spokesman, Seye Oladejo, in a statement yesterday in Ogba, said: ‘’Such a claim is not only false, but also intellectually dishonest.’’

    He added: ‘’A Supreme Court judgment is the highest expression of constitutional authority in a democracy. It is neither a military fiat nor an executive directive. To deliberately conflate a judicial verdict with military rule is to either misunderstand the basic workings of democracy or to wilfully mislead the public for partisan ends.

    ‘’The Supreme Court did not suspend democracy in Rivers State; it merely interpreted the law as empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In a constitutional democracy, court decisions may disappoint political actors, but they are binding on all. That is the essence of the rule of law.’’

    Oladejo said President Tinubu, contrary to the alarmist narrative being peddled, had neither sought nor exercised extra-constitutional powers.

    He noted that his democratic credentials were well established, adding that he was a frontline opponent of military dictatorship, a victim of repression and a contributor to the restoration of civil rule in Nigeria.

    READ ALSO: Turaki-led PDP begs Nigerians for another chance

    The statement said: ‘’The suggestion that such a leader will now govern by military proxy is as absurd as it is insulting.

    ‘’What is evident from Mr. Okonkwo’s commentary is a familiar opposition reflex: when the courts do not validate their political expectations, they attempt to delegitimise the judiciary and sow fear among the populace. This pattern of crying dictatorship at every unfavourable verdict is irresponsible and dangerous.

    ‘’More troubling, however, is the fact that this brand of anti-democratic rhetoric and the sheer promotion of anarchy now appear to be the default response of the opposition to constitutional setbacks. This constitutes the single greatest danger to our nascent democracy. When political actors deliberately undermine confidence in the courts and demonise lawful authority, they weaken the very foundations of the republic they claim to defend.

    ‘’Nigeria remains a constitutional democracy governed by laws, institutions and separation of powers. The military is under civilian control as prescribed by the Constitution, and there has been no action, directive or policy under President Tinubu that suggests otherwise.

    ‘’Lagos APC therefore calls on all well-meaning Nigerians, democrats and patriots to condemn this new low from the opposition in its entirety. Democracy is sustained by respect for the rule of law, not by incendiary commentary designed to provoke chaos and score cheap political points.

    Supreme Court verdicts are instruments of justice, not instruments of tyranny. They strengthen democracy; they do not destroy it.’’

  • Lagos APC to Atiku: you created the disaster we’re cleaning

    Lagos APC to Atiku: you created the disaster we’re cleaning

    Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it is compelled to respond to the latest delusional outburst from former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, ‘’a man whose political record reads like a crime scene,’’ after he laughably accused Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APC of “bringing insecurity and hunger” to Nigeria.

    The party, in a statement yesterday in Ogba, Lagos, by its spokesman, Seye Oladejo, said: ‘’Ordinarily, we would have advised him to take his routine political sedatives, but this level of shamelessness deserves a firm reply.

    ‘’This is the same Atiku, who supervised the infamous national assets auction, where Nigeria’s collective wealth was sold to himself, his friends and faceless cronies through a scandalous privatisation bazaar.

    ‘’Today, the same man wants to pretend he played no role? This is not just hypocrisy – it is legendary audacity.’’

    He added: ‘’Let Atiku deny- Boko Haram grew from a fringe sect into a national terror under PDP’s watch.

    ‘’Corruption was a state religion between 1999 and 2015. Oil wealth was squandered while poverty multiplied. The economy was vandalised with reckless abandon.

    ‘’Atiku was not a spectator – he was the engine room. So, who truly brought insecurity and hunger to Nigeria?

    He should look in the mirror.’’

    Oladejo said Atiku should stop insulting Nigerians with his political amnesia.

    He noted: ‘’This is a man, who has contested for president since the era of black-and-white television, yet has nothing meaningful to show for his long public career, except controversies, contradictions and comical political migrations.

    ‘’At 80, Atiku still thinks Nigerians are forgetful enough to swallow his self-absolving fairy tales.’’

    The statement further said: ‘’But Nigerians remember: The scandals. The privatisation mess. The betrayals. The lack of development in Adamawa State – his own backyard.’’

    Oladejo said Atiku’s desperation for power – at any cost, on any platform, with anybody – was precisely why his political career was in irreversible decline.

    He said he had become a wandering political relic, hopping from PDP to APC to PDP to ADC and back, like a man auditioning for any party willing to pity him.

    Read Also: IPRA endorses national spokespersons awards as FG, NUJ commend PRNigeria Fellowship

    ‘’Even political archaeologists will struggle to classify what Atiku now represents.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is confronting decades of accumulated rot – particularly the damage Atiku and his gang inflicted through corruption, policy incoherence and institutional collapse.

    The security architecture is being rebuilt. The economy is being reset. Reforms are underway nationwide.

    ‘’These are the repairs to the damage Atiku helped manufacture. He cannot destroy the house and now complain that the carpenters are sweating,’’ the APC spokesman added.

    He said a man rejected at the polls, rejected by his state, rejected by his party and rejected by time should embrace silence, adding that Atiku owed Nigeria years of apology.

    ‘’Atiku takes the final bow – because even he must know the curtains have fallen on his overstretched, exhausted ambition – he should devote his remaining valedictory days to restitution, seeking the forgiveness of Nigerians for the monumental economic and political crimes committed under his watch, and, where possible, paying reparation. This is not only for the sake of national accountability, but perhaps to preserve what remains of his huge extended family’s name, which has carried the burden of his controversies for far too long.

    ‘’Atiku remains a leading contributor to the insecurity, hunger, poverty and economic dislocation he now pretends to lament. His sudden righteousness is nothing but an obituary announcement for a failed political career.

    ‘’Lagos APC will not allow yesterday’s architects of national disaster to rewrite history with the ink of falsehood,’’ the statement said.

  • Lagos APC lauds Tinubu’s security emergency declaration

    Lagos APC lauds Tinubu’s security emergency declaration

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State yesterday lauded the declaration of security emergency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    The chapter also hailed the approval of an additional 20,000 new police recruits – a historic measure that brings the total security intake under his administration to an unprecedented 50,000 new personnel, following the earlier recruitment approval of 30,000 officers.

    Lagos APC Publicity Secretary Seye Oladejo said in a statement: “This is leadership in its purest form – decisive, courageous and unflinchingly focused on restoring peace and stability across Nigeria.”

    He hailed the President’s request for legislative action by asking the National Assembly to urgently review existing laws to empower states to establish state police where necessary.

    Oladejo said:” This is a clear departure from decades of lip-service paid to decentralised policing. President Tinubu is not only confronting insecurity with manpower and resources; he is also restructuring the very foundations of Nigeria’s policing architecture to meet the realities of modern threats.

    ‘’No President in recent history has shown this level of boldness and clarity in tackling long-standing constitutional bottlenecks that have hampered security enforcement at sub-national levels.

    READ ALSO: On Ezra Olubi’s nemesis

    ‘’The recruitment of 20,000 new officers – now totalling 50,000 under Tinubu – signifies: A reinvigorated national security posture. A decisive shift from reactive to offensive operations. A government willing to take hard decisions for the safety of its people

    ‘’While habitual critics trade in alarmism, President Tinubu is expanding capacity, reinforcing intelligence and strengthening the boots-on-ground required to overwhelm criminal cartels and their enablers.

    ‘’This is the type of strategic leadership Nigeria has long needed – and now has.

    Those who left Nigeria vulnerable through negligence, mismanagement and incompetence should be the last to question a President who is doing what they never attempted.

    ‘’They never recruited at this scale.

    They never reformed at this depth.

    They never summoned the courage to push for state policing.

    ‘’President Tinubu is rebuilding what they recklessly dismantled.

    ‘’With a combined intake of 50,000 officers, strengthened intelligence coordination and potential constitutional reform to establish state police, Nigeria is entering a decisive phase in its security evolution.

    ‘’Nigeria is in safe hands. Nigeria is protected by a President who leads with vision and courage. Nigeria is advancing toward a future where security is guaranteed, not gambled with.

    ‘’The Lagos APC proudly stands with President Tinubu as he takes bold, historic steps to secure every Nigerian, in every state, without exception.’’

  • Tinubu’s leadership guided by law, not emotion, says Lagos APC

    Tinubu’s leadership guided by law, not emotion, says Lagos APC

    Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has noted the latest outburst from an aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, over what he hurriedly labelled as a “pardon U-turn” by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Spokesman Seye Oladejo said in a statement yesterday in Ogba, Lagos:  

    ‘’Predictably, this statement is yet another cocktail of ignorance, frustration and political bitterness from a camp desperate for attention.

    ‘’Unlike the impulsive and uninformed commentary that has become the trademark of the opposition, President Tinubu’s decisions are driven by due process, rule of law and national interest. In advanced democracies, informed review and reconsideration are marks of credible leadership and institutional maturity – not weakness.

    ‘’Only in the shallow corners of the opposition’s imagination does consultation and constitutional refinement translate to a “U-turn.”

    APC said it was quite understandable, though regrettable, that Atiku Abubakar and his media handlers permanently misread governance dynamics, having left public office since 2007 – a period during which he did not cover himself in glory.

    READ ALSO: Nigerians revive ‘Justice For Ochanya’ seven years after teen’s death

    It said Atiku needed refresher courses in modern governance.

    Oladejo said the political world had evolved, Nigeria had evolved, public administration had evolved.

    ‘’Unfortunately, Atiku has not. His thoughts remain trapped in a bygone political era  – outdated, unimaginative and disconnected from today’s realities. His ideas are as stale as the repeated electoral losses that have now become his identity.

    ‘’Indeed, serial defeats at the polls can weigh heavily on an aging mind that was never more than ordinary in the first place,’’ he added.

    The spokesman said it was the height of irony that a candidate, whose career had been defined by endless defections, internal party sabotage and judicial tourism, was attempting to lecture President Tinubu on leadership or integrity.

    ‘’Nigeria has not forgotten the unresolved scandals and unexplained fortunes that follow Atiku’s political legacy like an unshakeable shadow.

    ‘’Instead of issuing hollow press tantrums, the former Vice-President’s camp should focus on rehabilitating its battered political credibility,’’ he further said.

    Oladejo said the public was weary of Atiku’s infantile, bitterness-driven politics – where sound governance decisions were attacked for the sake of noise-making.

    He noted that President Tinubu was strengthening institutions, not pandering to emotion or social media theatrics.

    APC said: ‘’We urge Nigerians to ignore the latest media convulsions from a defeated politician’s corner. President Tinubu will continue to lead with constitutional discipline, courage and clarity of purpose – not the bitterness and confusion that have become hallmarks of those rejected repeatedly at the polls. Nigeria is moving forward – and no amount of political tantrums will change that reality.’’

  • Lagos APC: ADC’s threat alarm unfounded

    Lagos APC: ADC’s threat alarm unfounded

    Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has noted, with a mix of amusement and pity, the latest attention-seeking outburst from African Democratic Congress (ADC), accusing “Tinubu’s APC” of trying to silence the opposition before 2027.

    Spokesman Seye Oladejo, in a statement yesterday in Ogba, Lagos, said: ‘’Let’s set the record straight – you can’t silence what Nigerians have already tuned out. ADC’s statement is the political equivalent of a mosquito accusing a lion of roaring too loudly. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC are too busy reshaping Nigeria’s destiny to bother about political spectators, who only appear during election season to make noise and vanish after the poll.

    ‘’While APC is building stronger structures, refining strategies and consolidating internal unity for more result-oriented governance, the opposition – led by the ADC  – is preoccupied with compiling the names of members to expel from its already starving register. Its executives are now more concerned about who may ‘escape’ than who may join.

    ‘’It is laughable that a party which exists only on newspaper pages and WhatSapp groups claims to be ‘under threat.’  From whom, exactly? Nigerians have long moved on from empty political vessels. ADC’s brand of politics has no base, no followers, and no relevance – just a statement and a logo that may soon need a missing person’s announcement.

    READ ALSO: Davido meets French President Macron

    ‘’Worse still, it is a strange and cynical brand of politics for a party to start preparing ready-made excuses for its imminent defeat before the polls. ADC’s strategy seems to be to blame its opponents in advance, while ignoring its own tragic flaws, internal chaos and complete lack of grassroots connection. You don’t lose elections because your opponents silence you  – you lose because the people don’t believe in you.

    ‘’Under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, APC is too focused on results to be distracted by professional complainers. The only thing being “silenced” in Nigeria today is failure, confusion and the politics of bitterness the opposition has perfected as an art form.

    ‘’ADC should stop hallucinating about persecution and start learning basic political arithmetic. You cannot accuse APC of silencing you when your own silence is self-inflicted and deafening – the result of irrelevance, disunity and absence of purpose.

    ‘’If ADC spends half as much time organising as it does issuing statements, perhaps Nigerians may actually remember it exists. But for now, its biggest electoral victory remains trending briefly on Twitter before vanishing into the fog of political obscurity.

    ‘’APC remains unwavering in its mission to build a nation of opportunities, unity and prosperity under President Tinubu. We will not be distracted by political comedians seeking attention through cheap drama.

    ‘’As for ADC, stop crying wolf; the nation has moved on.’’

  • Lagos APC decries deteriorating state of opposition

    Lagos APC decries deteriorating state of opposition

    Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has observed with concern, the deteriorating state of the so-called opposition parties, as the country gradually approaches the 2027 general election.

    The party in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Seye Oladejo, said rather than serve as credible watchdogs, policy challengers, or intellectual counterweights to the ruling party, the opposition had degenerated into a coalition of desperation, confusion and hypocrisy – the  bane of democratic growth.

    The statement further said: ‘’The health of any democracy is measured by the quality, depth and seriousness of its opposition – its ideas, organisation and consistency. Sadly, Nigeria’s opposition has failed woefully on all counts. It lacks leadership, cohesion and a binding political philosophy. The nation has watched in disbelief as individuals who once claimed to stand for ideological purity, now leapfrog from one platform to another in search of personal relevance. The opposition’s moral compass has been completely eroded, leaving behind a band of opportunists united only by their lust for power.

    ‘’This chaotic and rudderless reality stands in sharp contrast to the opposition years under the visionary leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who as a master political strategist and democrat, built a formidable coalition rooted in principles, ideas and structure. Asiwaju’s opposition politics was defined by clarity of purpose, ideological direction and consistency of engagement.

    He offered Nigerians a credible alternative founded on progressivism, good governance and national unity.

    READ ALSO: A new leaf?

    ‘’It was that brand of purposeful and issue-driven opposition that gave birth to the All Progressives Congress (APC) – a product of strategic coalition, political discipline and intellectual depth – which Nigerians overwhelmingly voted into power in 2015. ‘’The APC of today is a testament to what visionary and responsible opposition politics can achieve when driven by patriotism rather than personal ambition.

    ‘’While President Tinubu’s administration continues to pursue the Renewed Hope Agenda with courage and clarity – implementing tough but necessary reforms to reposition the economy and restore national pride – the opposition of today is preoccupied with propaganda, bitterness and blind ambition. At a time when the government is working to stabilise the economy, empower citizens and strengthen national unity, the opposition remains fixated on divisive rhetoric and self-serving noise.

    ‘’APC finds it troubling that none of the opposition parties has presented any coherent roadmap for the economy, security, education, or social development. Their default strategy remains to demonise government policies, while offering no credible alternatives. Such an unserious and visionless opposition can only undermine the progress of democracy by reducing public discourse to noise and confusion.

    ‘’Indeed, the absence of credible alternatives has become one of the major reasons for the growing voter apathy witnessed during elections. Nigerians are fast losing interest in a political opposition that neither inspires confidence nor offers any hope of genuine change. Democracy thrives on choice – and when one side of the political divide consistently fails to evolve, citizens naturally disengage from the process.

    ‘’Let it be known that democracy thrives not just on the conduct of elections, but also on the quality of engagement between the ruling party and a constructive opposition. Unfortunately, what we have today is a fragmented assemblage of self-appointed messiahs and expired politicians, who mistake social media noise for national relevance.

    ‘’Lagos APC therefore calls on Nigerians to see through the facade of this rudderless opposition. The coming 2027 elections will not be a contest between the ruling APC and any formidable alternative – it will be a referendum on performance, vision and national stability. On all these fronts, APC stands head and shoulders above the rest.

    ‘’APC remains committed to building a prosperous, secure and inclusive nation under the leadership of President Tinubu. The opposition, if it truly wishes to contribute to democratic progress, must first learn the basic art of leadership, discipline and sincerity of purpose. Until then, it will remain the biggest threat to the deepening of democracy in Nigeria.’’

  • Lagos APC slams opposition over #FreeNnamdiKanuProtest

    Lagos APC slams opposition over #FreeNnamdiKanuProtest

    All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has condemned organisers of FreeNnamdiKanuProtest for creating tension in some parts of the Southeast.

    Stressing that it is politically-motivated, the chapter flayed the organisers for reckless and bitter politics, and abuse of freedom of expression.

    Lagos APC Publicity Secretary Seye Oladejo said in a statement that the protest was carefully scripted by desperate opposition figures, who saw chaos as their last political weapon.

    The statement said: “This so-called protest is not about justice; it is about political frustration. It represents the height of bitter, destructive politics – an attempt by those who have been roundly rejected by Nigerians at the polls to exploit national issues in search of cheap relevance.

    “We find it deeply disturbing that certain opposition leaders, who should know better, are shamelessly endorsing and sponsoring these street theatrics.

    “Their involvement reveals what can only be described as a classic case of the Biblical hand of Jacob but the voice of Esau – deceitful manipulation hiding behind the façade of activism. But let them be reminded: they will not gain in the streets what they have disgracefully lost at the polls.

    READ ALSO: NLC issues four-week ultimatum to FG over ASUU crisis

    “The insensitivity of the organisers and their sponsors is shocking. At a time when the Southeast is still bleeding from years of mindless bloodshed, kidnappings and enforced sit-at-home orders – all consequences of violent agitation – these individuals have chosen to mock the memories of the victims.

    “They ignore the tears of widows, the pains of orphans and the devastation of communities ruined by senseless violence. Their protest is not a demand for justice; it is a betrayal of the sacrifices of the innocent.

    “For years, ordinary citizens in the Southeast have lived in fear – traders afraid to open their shops, transporters grounded by threats, children deprived of education, and families shattered by insecurity.

    “Yet, instead of standing with their people to heal these wounds, these political opportunists have returned to fan the embers of division, hoping to profit from instability.

    “Let it be clear: no one is above the law. The case of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu remains a judicial matter properly before the courts. Nigeria’s judiciary is competent, independent and capable of delivering justice without recourse to mob pressure or street intimidation.

    “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, is working to rebuild the economy, restore investors’ confidence, and foster national unity.

    “His administration has shown remarkable inclusivity, with the Southeast occupying key national positions and benefiting from renewed infrastructural development. True progress will come not from chaos, but from cooperation and peace.

    “Lagos APC therefore calls on security agencies to remain vigilant, and on all patriotic Nigerians – especially leaders of thought in the Southeast – to reject the antics of those who traffic in bitterness. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we must not allow political desperation to tear it apart.”

  • Lagos APC to Momodu: no room for ethnic politics

    Lagos APC to Momodu: no room for ethnic politics

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, Dele Momodu, to stop playing the ethnic card ahead of 2027.

    It said Momodu had masqueraded political showmanship as a strategy, adding that the magazine publisher lacked the credentials to offer strategic counsel to the opposition on how to get power.

    Lagos APC described Momodu as a serial political tourist, who has suddenly anointed himself as a strategic adviser to a confused opposition.

    The Publicity Secretary, Mogaji Seye Oladejo, said in a statement that it was wrong for Momodu to ask the opposition to play the ethnic card since, in his own words, “Jonathan and Obi can’t defeat Tinubu.”

    The statement reads: “While we thank him for finally admitting the obvious – that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains politically unstoppable – we must question the audacity and credentials of a man whose own political history is nothing but a long tale of experiments, misadventures, and failed auditions for relevance.

    READ ALSO; MC Mbakara, wife open up on daughter’s nine-year cerebral palsy struggle

    “What moral or strategic authority does Dele Momodu possess to lecture anyone about political strategy? A man who is literally attached to the apron strings of a career presidential aspirant. A presidential candidate whose electoral outing was so embarrassing that even his polling agents couldn’t locate his tally on the result sheet?

    “If anything, Momodu should be the last person to speak on winning strategies. His own record reads like a manual on how not to win in politics – loud on commentary, empty on substance, and perpetually chasing validation from political heavyweights who never take him seriously.

    “It is, therefore, sheer comic relief that a man whose entire political relevance is confined to social media timelines now presumes to dictate the opposition’s roadmap to 2027. Nigerians know better. They know that leadership is earned through vision, performance, and consistency – not through editorials written from the sidelines of social gigs.

    “Let it be known that the days of weaponising ethnicity as a shortcut to power are long gone. The Nigerian electorate has evolved. They are now focused on who can deliver results, not who can divide the nation.

    Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria is being rebuilt on the foundation of equity, inclusion, and reform. From infrastructural renewal to economic stabilisation and social investment, this administration is proving that leadership is about ideas, not identity.

    “Mr Momodu should therefore focus on rediscovering his own political direction before attempting to offer others advice. If the opposition is truly desperate for guidance, perhaps the first counsel they should heed is to stop listening to those who have never won anything, not even a councillorship election.

    Truth be told, political realists have accepted the defeat of the opposition, come Year 2027, individually and collectively.

    “The 2027 election will be a referendum on competence and performance, not on ethnicity or nostalgia. And in that contest, Dele Momodu’s brand of political showmanship will have no place.”