The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has challenged opposition parties and critics of President Bola Tinubu to engage in constructive debate ahead of the 2027 election, arguing that democracy thrives on ideas rather than resentment or grievance-driven politics.
The party made this known in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos by its spokesman, Seye Oladejo, who said meaningful democratic engagement requires policy-based competition, not hostility or theatrics.
According to Oladejo, democratic growth is sustained through the exchange of ideas, not through what he described as persistent bitterness and obstruction.
“An opposition that relies mainly on provocation, incitement and grievance trading does not deepen democracy; it weakens it. Nigeria deserves thoughtful critics with solutions, not perpetual complainers who confuse noise with relevance,” he said.
He observed that despite several electoral cycles, opposition parties have remained fragmented and lacking in coherent policy alternatives, choosing instead to recycle what he termed exaggerated pessimism and selective narratives.
“Rather than self-examination or reinvention, the opposition has normalised outrage and denial. The constant refusal to accept electoral outcomes is neither democratic nor patriotic,” Oladejo stated.
The APC spokesman further stressed that accountability within a constitutional system should not be portrayed as victimisation.
“In a functioning democracy, the rule of law does not bend to political sensitivities. Criminal allegations are not acts of persecution, and judicial processes are not stages for political drama. Only a desperate opposition equates accountability with witch-hunting,” he said.
Oladejo also urged opposition parties to confront their internal shortcomings instead of attributing failures to institutions or imagined adversaries.
“When a house is perpetually in crisis, it is misleading to keep blaming outsiders. Political incompetence cannot be cured by shifting blame. A credible opposition must first demonstrate the capacity to manage its own affairs,” he noted.
He called on opposition leaders to show consistency and moral courage in condemning terrorism, violence and criminality without ethnic or political bias.
“A political movement that condemns terror selectively has lost moral credibility. Nigeria needs principled leadership, not conditional outrage,” he added.
Oladejo warned against what he termed as reckless rhetoric and constant predictions of national collapse, insisting that Nigeria is far from being a failed state.
“Nigeria is not a failed state in waiting, regardless of how fervently some may wish it so. Nations are not built by professional mourners or sustained by merchants of despair. Those seeking leadership must stop cursing the country they claim to love,” Oladejo said.
According to him, while the opposition remains preoccupied with complaints, the APC-led Federal Government under President Tinubu is engaged in the demanding task of governance.
He said the administration is focused on correcting economic distortions and strengthening the country’s security framework, stressing that difficult decisions are being taken in the interest of long-term national stability.
“Tough decisions are being taken today to secure a better tomorrow. Governance is hard work, and hard talk without hard thinking cannot replace it,” he said.
Oladejo urged opposition parties to embrace a new political culture founded on ideas, patriotism and credible alternatives, adding that Nigerians are increasingly uninterested in politics built on bitterness.
“Nigeria needs critics, but not critics who confuse bitterness with vision. Nigerians are no longer impressed by political tantrums. They will continue to entrust their future to leadership that builds solutions rather than complains,” he added.
