By Amawu Cletus Albert Amawu. EpistleNews | Abuja, Nigeria.
DEMOCRACY IN THE BALANCE: LABOUR PARTY CONDEMNS TINUBU’S MOCKERY OF OPPOSITION AMID APC NORTH-EAST CRISIS.
In a scathing reaction to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s controversial Democracy Day remarks, the Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, PhD, has issued a statement condemning what she described as a dangerous celebration of democratic decay by the Nigerian President.
Taking to her verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, Senator Usman criticised President Tinubu for his glee at what he termed the “disarray” within opposition parties, describing his comments as “undemocratic”, “unguarded” and “beneath the dignity of a President in a democracy.”
“This is not poetic justice. It is political karma,” she declared, in reference to the unfolding crisis within the President’s own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in the North-East region.
Just days after Tinubu’s remarks, the APC has become embroiled in internal turmoil, exposing what the Labour Party termed “the rot at the core” of its politics. According to Senator Usman, the President’s attempt to foist a unilateral agenda, allegedly at the expense of proper party procedure and in disregard of Vice President Kashim Shettima has triggered public rejection in the North-East, and laid bare cracks in the ruling party’s structure.
“The attempt to undermine Vice President 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,” she said.
The statement further warned that democracy must not be judged by the victory of one party over another, but by the integrity of contestation, respect for dissent, and the flourishing of alternative voices.
“Democracy thrives not when power is consolidated, but when it is contested with responsibility and honour,” Senator Usman noted, adding that “a president who celebrates the weakening of opposition is, by extension, celebrating the weakening of democracy itself.”
Observers believe the Labour Party’s response marks a shift in tone from opposition parties, long accused of timidity in the face of executive overreach. The party’s statement struck a balance between caution and confrontation, eschewing gloating, but calling for accountability and introspection at the highest levels of power.
Senator Usman ended her statement with a rallying call to the Nigerian people:
“To every Nigerian watching: the time has come to look beyond the noise and choose leadership rooted in humility, truth, and national interest. 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 remarks have since gone viral, sparking nationwide discourse around the state of Nigeria’s democracy, the integrity of political leadership, and the future of multi-party engagement in the country.
As the APC battles internal fractures and the President faces growing scrutiny over his rhetoric and leadership style, it remains to be seen whether this moment will lead to course correction or further democratic erosion.
