President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves some credit. Though he has led the worst regime in national democratic history, it is clear the man can still count 1-2-3. TInubu has been able to read the different internal polls that show that he would lose the forthcoming 2027 polls in a free fair elections. He is able to recognize that the only way he could secure a second term is where has no opponent at all. But that is as far as the plaudits can go.
Tinubu’s outburst after the convention of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was an embarrassing mess. His April 16 interview was not the victory lap he imagined; it was the frantic gasping of a leader who knows the floor is falling out from under him. Despite his best efforts to make light of the situation, it was an image of a house rat cornered into a hole with no escape route. He knew the time near, very near. He is desperate.
In short, by mocking the ADC for holding its convention on the street, Tinubu did not just insult a political party, he did not just show a deep disdain for the concept of opposition and democracy, he also confessed his own role in a desperate sabotage campaign.
Tinubu’s “street” remark is the height of hypocrisy. It was an admission that he was using the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, as a partisan mallet to repeatedly deny the ADC access to legitimate venues. When you lock the doors of democracy and force the opposition into the elements, you don’t get to laugh at the dust on their shoes.
Even worse, his claim that the ADC defied court orders is equally as transparent as it is instructive. These 11th-hour injunctions bear the unmistakable scent of the ruling party’s interference. Even under the dark shadow of Sani Abacha, the opposition was rarely treated with such naked, systematic thuggery. Nigeria has never had it this bad, not under military regimes, and definitely not under a democratic regime.
Tinubu’s most telling blunder, however, was his jab at Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of trying to “privatize” another man’s party. This confirms what Nigerians have long suspected: Mr. President and the Commander-in-Chief is the architect of the internal crises fracturing the opposition. He isn’t a master strategist as commonly assumed; he is a mere chicken frightened gatekeeper.
So, why the combative onslaught? Because Tinubu is sweating. He sees a united opposition forming and knows his plummeting popularity cannot survive a fair fight. These shameless remarks aren’t a sign of strength—they are the panicked screams of a man terrified of the very people he claims to lead.
SKC Ogbonnia writes from Abuja.
