- Tinubu denies coercion over APC defections
- Speaks at Senate iftar in Presidential Villa
- Says opposition weakened itself
- Calls for unity and state police reform
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dismissed claims that he orchestrated the defection of opposition politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress, insisting that no individual was forced or pressured to abandon their political party.
The President spoke on Wednesday night during an interfaith breaking of fast with members of the Nigerian Senate at the Presidential Villa.
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Responding to criticisms that his administration was deliberately weakening the opposition, Tinubu said such opinions were expected in a democracy but maintained that he had no role in pushing politicians out of their parties.
“Critics must talk. When they accused me of killing the opposition, but I didn’t have a gun,” the President said.
“I could have given myself a licence when I had the authority. But I can’t blame anybody for jumping out of a sinking ship if they did.”
Tinubu stressed that all politicians who defected to the APC did so voluntarily, adding that he neither abused his office nor deployed force against any political group.
Beyond party politics, the President called on Nigerians to embrace unity in confronting the country’s worsening security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, and insurgency.
“What we have faced in this challenging period of this country — terrorism and banditry — is causing us havoc,” he said.
“We should pull together and unite in the way our forefathers envisioned, to build a constitutional democracy. They didn’t say we should fight. It’s a good thing that we are working in harmony.”
Tinubu warned that Nigeria’s forests and rural communities had become vulnerable to criminal elements, stressing the need for urgent constitutional reforms to strengthen national security.
He specifically urged the National Assembly to begin the process of amending the Constitution to allow for the establishment of state police.
According to him, incorporating state police into the constitutional framework would significantly improve Nigeria’s security architecture and help address emerging threats more effectively.
The President encouraged lawmakers to prioritise the reform as part of broader efforts to stabilise the nation and reinforce democratic governance.