Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has criticized opposition parties in Nigeria including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), for blaming President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the internal crises within their ranks.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Senator Sani described the ongoing blame game as “irresponsible” and urged the opposition parties to look inward and take charge of their internal affairs.
“It is unfortunate that the opposition in the country is looking up to the president to solve their problems,” Sani stated.
“How logical is it when you have a problem in your house, then you start blaming your neighbour or adversary for it when you should address it? If there is a problem in the PDP, it is for the PDP to solve; if there is a problem in the Labour Party and SDP, it is for the Labour Party and SDP to solve.
“If there is a problem in the NNPP, it is for the NNPP to solve. I don’t know whether they are also trying to ask the president to come to their party and solve their problems.”
Over the past year, opposition parties have faced significant internal instability, leading to the defection of several key figures including governors and members of the National Assembly, to the ruling APC. Many of those who defected attributed their departure to unresolved internal disputes.
In reaction, opposition leaders have frequently accused President Tinubu and the APC of engineering the disarray within their parties. However, Sani dismissed such claims, stating that the opposition must take responsibility for its failings.
“If you are in the PDP and you have people working against your party, you refuse to suspend them, you refuse to expel them, and then you decide to focus on the president as being responsible for your problem. I think you are simply being irresponsible,” Sani said.
“If you are in the SDP and you have a crisis in your party and you don’t fix it, and then you are blaming the president, trying to find a scapegoat for your problems, I think you are just unserious,” Sani added.
According to the former senator, it is politically naive to expect President Tinubu to intervene in opposition affairs.
“To me, as a president from a ruling party, he cannot be seen trying to fix a missile or a gun that will be directed at him. It is part of a political strategy to ensure that your adversary has so much problem within his own area that he will not be able to contend,” Sani stated.
President Tinubu himself appeared to mock the opposition parties during his Democracy Day speech on June 12. Addressing a joint session of the National Assembly, Tinubu dismissed the idea of offering help to political parties in turmoil.
“Political parties fearful of members leaving may be better served by examining their internal processes and affairs rather than fearfully conjuring up demons that do not exist,” Tinubu had remarked.
“For me, I will not say, ‘Try your best to put your house in order.’ I will not help you to do so either. It is indeed a pleasure to witness you in such disarray.”