The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party, Nenadi Usman, has urged opposition political parties to stand up against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party amid alleged plan by the President Bola Tinubu’s administration to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. 

Ms Usman made this call while addressing participants of the African Democratic Congress at the Global Award and Dinner Night held in Abuja on Monday, stating that the Tinubu-led regime failed in every area and it was the duty of the opposition parties to find real solutions.

“We must rebuild the opposition – not as scattered entities chasing relevance – but as a united force driven by shared values, sound policy ideas, and the unshakable will to offer Nigerians the leadership they deserve,” Ms Usman said. 

She added, “We must call out the failures of the APC administration, its economic mismanagement, insecurity, shrinking civic space, and worsening inequality. But more importantly, we must come armed with real solutions and speak not just to the frustrations of Nigerians but to their hopes.”

The former minister of finance accused the ruling APC government of weaponizing state-owned resources to deliberately undermine oppositions while engaging in covert operations to cause disruptions in other parties.

She stated that democracy in the country was at risk without a unified dissenting voice.

Ms Usman noted, “Since the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the ruling party, there has been a deliberate and relentless campaign to undermine the opposition. Tactics range from infiltration and co-optation to the use of state institutions for harassment, intimidation, and even judicial manipulation. The ruling party has become adept not just at consolidating power but at weakening every form of challenge to it. Democracy, at its core, depends on the presence of dissent. It thrives not through silence or submission but through robust debate, critique, and the offering of credible alternatives. Without a strong and functional opposition, we cannot claim to be practising democracy, only a shadow of it.”

Furthermore, Ms Usman condemned what she called undemocratic approach of Mr Tinubu’s administration to govern the country, adding that, “It does this country no good to operate a system where one party dominates unchecked. Even the APC, if it is wise, should understand that democracy dies not with a bang but with the silence of dissent.

“When our leaders put Nigeria first – above ambition, above ego, above the lure of quick power – no ruling party can break us. It is time to stop acting like victims and start behaving like visionaries. Our role is not to whine about the state of the nation but to fight for its redemption,” she said.

Meanwhile, the APC slammed the opposition for accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of weaponizing poverty to undermine democracy.

In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party accused opposition members, including Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi, of desperation for power.

The party said, “Nigerians see right through their disruptive politicking. Amaechi and his cohorts are losing their grip on the economy. Accustomed to fleecing the economy, they are now compelled by Tinubu’s unprecedented reforms to adapt to a new reality where hard work, productivity, and innovation are rewarded. Their criticisms of President Tinubu’s reforms are decidedly self-serving, driven by a desperate quest for power to satiate their voracious rent-seeking appetite, which has long stifled and denied progress to the economy.’’