The Obidient Movement, a group supporting the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has blasted President Bola Tinubu’s recent remarks celebrating divisions in opposition parties.
The group described Tinubu’s words about the ‘opposition in disarray’ as undemocratic and harmful for Nigeria’s political future, implying that the president’s comments were part of a larger plan to undermine the democratic process.
Tinubu, speaking to a joint session of the National Assembly during this year’s Democracy Day celebrations in Abuja on Thursday, publicly declared that he enjoys seeing the opposition in disarray and has no intention of supporting them in resolving internal conflicts.
“For me, I would say try your best to put your house in order. I will not help you do so. “It is, indeed, a pleasure to witness you in such disarray,” Tinubu stated.
In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Dr Yunusa Tanko, expressed shock at what he described as a public endorsement of political sabotage by the nation’s highest officeholder.
“This is not only shameful but deeply troubling. “It confirms what Peter Obi has consistently warned about, that the current administration is not just indifferent to the rule of law and democratic ideals but is actively working against them,” Tanko said.
Tanko stated that Tinubu’s statement is a veiled threat to Nigeria’s already fragile democracy, calling on the international community to pay closer attention to what he labelled a “dangerous shift” in Nigeria’s political climate.
He said, “You can now see the kind of political leaders we are dealing with in this country. They are ruthless in their actions and words. This isn’t just careless talk; it is a direct admission of interfering in the affairs of opposition parties. The presidency is openly ridiculing the concept of a vibrant multiparty democracy.
“This is why we keep saying that democracy is dying under this administration, and the world must not look away. The United States and other democratic nations must realise that what is happening in Nigeria will have ripple effects across Africa. If democracy collapses in the most populous Black nation, it will send a dangerous signal to the entire continent.”
He also criticised the president’s symbolic gestures during the Democracy Day event, like the posthumous pardon of the Ogoni Nine and the awarding of national honours to June 12 heroes.
Tanko criticised the move as politically driven and a distraction from Nigeria’s urgent concerns.
“That was nothing but a publicity stunt. Nigerians are not asking for awards or political drama. They are asking for food, jobs, security, and an economy that works. These so-called pardons and national honours are just strategic gimmicks to score political points ahead of the 2027 election. “But the people are not fooled,” he stated.
Tanko condemned the growing hardship in the country, warning that empty political theatrics could not mask the pain and suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
“During the last Sallah celebration, how many people were truly happy? Joy has been taken away from Nigerians. What they need is economic relief, not symbolic gestures. Leadership must focus on substance, not spectacle,” he said.
