By Our Reporter
In a fiery statement that pulls no punches, the Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Nenadi Usman, has taken a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing him of undermining democratic principles and celebrating the erosion of opposition—only to be hoisted by his own political petard days later.
The statement, issued in Abuja, comes on the heels of growing discontent and visible fractures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in the North East. The region, once considered a solid power base for the APC due in no small part to Vice President Kashim Shettima’s influence, has now become a stage for internal strife, as power tussles and factional infighting erupt into public view.
Senator Usman condemned what she described as President Tinubu’s “gleeful mockery” of opposition parties, warning that such undemocratic rhetoric from the highest office in the land signals a dangerous shift from statesmanship to petty partisanship.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently mocked the opposition, gleefully declaring his joy at what he described as our moment of disarray,” Usman said. “A president who celebrates the weakening of opposition is, by extension, celebrating the weakening of democracy itself.”
Just days after those remarks, the Labour Party notes, the APC has become embroiled in its own internal meltdown in the North East. The Labour Party alleges that attempts to marginalize Vice President Shettima and install party loyalists by force rather than consensus have backfired spectacularly.
“In their reckless bid to enforce a one-man agenda without regard for process, respect, or even the dignity of their own Vice President, the APC has exposed the rot at the core of their politics,” Usman added. “This is not poetic justice. It is political karma.”
The LP further claimed that the situation in the North East reflects a deeper institutional crisis within the APC and questioned how a party at war with itself could offer the country stable governance. Images and reports of smuggled party officials, bitter factional meetings, and an increasingly disillusioned support base in Borno and beyond are now in circulation.
Usman continued: “The attempt to undermine Vice President Kashim Shettima in his own region is not just a sign of internal decay, but a dangerous signal to the nation that loyalty, dignity, and truth are traded cheaply in the corridors of power.”
Calling on Nigerians to reject what she described as “the politics of sabotage and suppression,” Senator Usman urged citizens to demand leadership rooted in transparency, humility, and national purpose. She emphasized that the Labour Party would remain committed to responsible opposition and to defending democratic values against authoritarian impulses.
“Let it be known: democracy thrives not when power is consolidated, but when it is contested with responsibility and honour,” she concluded. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to building a nation where opposition is not persecuted but protected as a vital sign of our collective democratic health.”
The statement is already making waves across political circles, with analysts saying the Labour Party has seized on a critical moment to reframe the national conversation and position itself as the moral alternative to what it describes as APC’s crumbling internal structure. Whether this will translate into political momentum remains to be seen—but one thing is clear: the battle for 2027 has already begun.