In a Democracy Day address laden with political contradiction, President Bola Tinubu forcefully rejected accusations that his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seeks to establish a one-party state in Nigeria, while simultaneously declaring his desire for opposition parties to descend into chaos and openly welcoming their defecting members.

Standing before a joint session of the National Assembly, the President positioned himself as a bulwark against single-party domination. “I stand before you declaring that I, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be the last person to support any move towards a one-party state,” he stated emphatically, dismissing claims of an APC plot to eliminate rival political entities as unfounded. He underscored the theoretical importance of opposition, acknowledging its role as a fundamental pillar of a functioning democracy.

Yet, within moments, President Tinubu pivoted sharply, revealing a starkly different perspective on the practical health of that opposition. In remarks that drew audible reaction from the assembled lawmakers, he admitted, “It is my wish for the opposition to be in disarray.” Going further, he explicitly ruled out any role in fostering opposition unity: “I cannot help them put their house in order,” he declared, framing the disunity of rival parties not as a democratic ill, but as a desirable political outcome.

This stated desire for opposition fragmentation stood in direct juxtaposition to his next pronouncement. President Tinubu extended a conspicuous invitation to members of those same struggling opposition parties, effectively rolling out the APC welcome mat. “Our doors in the APC remain wide open,” he proclaimed, adding that the ruling party would “welcome any willing partner, any willing individual” seeking to cross the political aisle. He characterized this as a sign of the APC’s strength and appeal, rather than a tactic to weaken rivals.

The President’s dual messaging – championing opposition in principle while actively wishing for its operational collapse and encouraging its members to defect – presents a complex picture of the current political landscape.