The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is keen on seeing a vibrant opposition in Nigeria, urging the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) to urgently resolve their internal crises and strengthen their platforms.
Akpabio made the remarks during the inauguration of the Arterial Road N20 Interchange Bridges in Abuja, where he represented President Tinubu.
He referenced the turmoil within the PDP over the position of the National Secretary, as well as the defection of Senator Neda Imasuen, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, from the LP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“However you people got yourself into this confusion, try and get yourself out of it very quickly. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR is interested in seeing a very vibrant opposition. As a true democrat, he wants to see the opposition doing well,” Akpabio said.
He added, “It saddens him when he sees the opposition in Nigeria in disarray. Just before I came here to represent him, I received and read a letter from the Labour Party. So, it’s not only PDP that is in disarray — even the Labour Party is cracked.”
Akpabio also expressed satisfaction with receiving defectors into the APC, saying the party’s doors remain open.
> “Senator Neda Imasuen just decamped this afternoon from the Labour Party. I had to carry out the ritual of welcoming him. I’m not tired of receiving them. Congratulations to Imasuen, who has decided to leave the fractured Labour Party for the APC.”
Meanwhile, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, sharply criticised the PDP leadership, particularly the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, for seeking guidance from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before implementing a Supreme Court ruling affirming Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.
Wike called Damagum’s directive for Anyanwu to “resume” work an embarrassing show of ignorance.
> “The National Secretary is not your appointee. He has been doing his work and doesn’t require you or anyone to direct him to resume. That you’re ignorant of the law is not an excuse,” Wike said.
He described the PDP’s actions as self-sabotaging and called on Damagum to seek proper counsel.
“Continue to shoot yourself; I will not be part of those who sabotage themselves. If you want to learn, come to us — we will teach you. Don’t rely on allocations or ego. Money is not the solution to everything.”
The comments from Akpabio and Wike highlight growing divisions and instability within Nigeria’s main opposition parties, raising questions about their readiness to challenge the ruling APC in future elections.
