The Labour Party faction led by Nenadi Usman has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of misusing state resources to create division among opposition parties. Usman made these remarks during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Global Award and Dinner Night in Abuja.
She urged coalition partners to make necessary sacrifices to ensure the success of the campaign against President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. Usman emphasized that while the APC is indeed using state institutions to intimidate and threaten the opposition, maintaining unity among opposition members is crucial for achieving their goals.
The former senator from Kaduna stated that since the APC came to power, there has been a systematic effort to undermine opposition parties, employing tactics that include infiltration and co-optation.
“The ruling party has become skilled not only at consolidating its power but also at undermining any challenges to it. This is not democracy; it is domination disguised as governance.
“The APC cannot genuinely claim to uphold democratic values while simultaneously working to destabilize opposition parties like the Labour Party and others,” she stated.
Usman emphasized the need for unity among opposition leaders and various political platforms, noting that democracy relies on the existence of dissent. She asserted that the system flourishes not through silence or compliance, but through vigorous debate, critique, and the presentation of credible alternatives.
The factional chairperson of the Labour Party, represented at the event by her Senior Special Adviser (Media), Ken Eluma Asogwa, urged her fellow opposition party members to set aside personal ambitions, greed, and internal conflicts, and instead concentrate on offering Nigerians viable alternatives.
“However, I must be candid: although external interference from the APC has contributed to the situation, it is not the sole factor. The opposition has frequently played a part in its own decline.
We need to recognize that personal ambition, greed, and internal divisions have left us exposed. External sabotage cannot thrive if there is no internal deterioration,” she stated.