President Bola Tinubu has debunked rife reports that he is behind the decline of Nigeria's opposition parties, insisting that he neither coerced nor pressured anyone to abandon their political platforms.

The president, who is the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) commented at the interfaith Iftar with senators at the Presidential Villa, where he addressed claims that his administration is working to weaken opposition parties.

According to him, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but he rejected any wrongdoing. He added that he could not fault politicians who chose to defect, likening their decisions to leaving a “sinking ship,” while pointing to terrorism and banditry as major national challenges contributing to political tensions.

“Critics must talk. When they accused me of killing the opposition, but I didn’t have a gun. I could have given myself a licence when I have the authority.

“But I can’t blame anybody for jumping out of a sinking ship if they did. What we have faced in the challenging period of this country, the terrorism and banditry, is causing us havoc.

The President urged political leaders to prioritise unity in line with the vision of Nigeria’s founding fathers, stressing that constitutional democracy is meant to foster cooperation rather than conflict.

“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.”

Watch the video below:

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐈 𝐃𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐮

Credit: X | NigAffairs
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