By Ihechi Enyinnaya
The Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Nenadi Usman, has called on opposition leaders to put aside personal ambitions and unite to ensure President Bola Tinubu is not re-elected in 2027.
Speaking through her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Eluma Asogwa, at the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Global Award and Dinner Night in Abuja, Usman emphasized that only a united and disciplined opposition can challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Usman accused the APC of weaponizing state institutions to harass and destabilize the opposition through infiltration, intimidation, and judicial manipulation. She warned that such tactics undermine democracy and are designed to silence dissent.
“This is not democracy. This is domination masked as governance,” she said. “A system that uses state resources to sow discord within rival parties is not interested in fair competition—it seeks authoritarian control.”
She acknowledged that while the APC’s actions have played a role in weakening the opposition, much of the damage has also been self-inflicted.
“We must admit that ambition, greed, and internal divisions have made us vulnerable. No external sabotage can succeed without internal decay,” Usman noted. “It is time to stop acting like victims and start behaving like visionaries.”
The LP leader stressed that a functional democracy requires a vibrant opposition capable of offering credible alternatives and holding the government accountable.
“When the people are left with no real choice, the legitimacy of the entire system is at risk,” she warned. Quoting Nelson Mandela, she added: “A strong democracy needs a strong opposition.”
Usman urged opposition parties to speak not only to Nigerians’ frustrations but also to their hopes, presenting real solutions to issues such as insecurity, economic hardship, shrinking civic space, and deepening inequality.
She concluded by invoking former U.S. President Barack Obama:
“The role of an opposition party is not just to oppose but to propose better ideas, challenge the government, and hold it accountable.”
“We owe Nigerians not just criticism, but conviction. Not just slogans, but substance. Not just ambition, but