‘I Didn’t Have a Gun,’ Tinubu Dismisses Claims of Killing Opposition

‘I Didn’t Have a Gun,’ Tinubu Dismisses Claims of Killing Opposition

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has firmly denied allegations that his administration is undermining opposition parties, insisting he neither intimidated politicians into defecting nor deployed state machinery to weaken rival platforms.

The President spoke at an interfaith Iftar with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he responded to mounting criticism that the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) is profiting from alleged pressure on opposition figures to switch sides.

“Critics must talk. When they accused me of killing the opposition, but I didn’t have a gun. I could have given myself a licence when I have the authority,” Tinubu said, dismissing suggestions that he was orchestrating a one-party dominance.

His remarks come against the backdrop of a string of defections from opposition parties to the APC, developments that have stirred debate across the political space about the health of Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.

Rejecting the claims of coercion, the President argued that those leaving their parties were acting on personal judgment rather than under duress.

“But I can’t blame anybody for jumping out of a sinking ship if they did,” he added, hinting that internal divisions and crises within opposition parties may be responsible for the exodus.

Tinubu also broadened his comments to address the country’s security situation, noting that terrorism and banditry continue to pose serious challenges to national stability.

“What we have faced in the challenging period of this country, the terrorism and banditry, is causing us havoc,” he said.

Calling for unity across party lines, the President urged political leaders to focus on strengthening democratic institutions instead of deepening divisions. He stressed that Nigeria’s constitutional democracy was designed to promote cooperation and collective progress.

“And we should pull together, unite in a way that our forefathers contemplated to bring about a constitutional democracy and pull us together. They didn’t say we should fight. It’s a good thing that we are working in harmony,” Tinubu stated.

The President’s comments are likely to further shape conversations around party defections and the evolving political landscape ahead of future electoral contests.