The Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Nenadi Usman, has taken a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who recently stood before Nigerians with unconcealed glee, mocking the internal struggles of opposition parties. She rhetorically asked how he now feels as internal implosion looms within his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, she described the situation as a dramatic twist marked by irony and political karma, noting that the APC is now grappling with a deepening crisis in the North-East.
“Just days after the President’s derisive remarks, the APC has imploded in full public view, its internal fractures laid bare. At the centre of the storm is the humiliating marginalisation of Vice President Kashim Shettima, right in his own geopolitical stronghold.
“The President, who laughed at the opposition’s growing pains, now presides over a party battling open rebellion, power tussles, and accusations of top-down imposition. For critics, the spectacle is less about schadenfreude and more about the dangers of authoritarian arrogance.
“It’s not poetic justice. It’s political karma.
“The President mocked the opposition for internal tensions, yet today he leads a party in complete disarray—riddled with factionalism, internal sabotage, and an obsession with control over governance.”
According to Senator Usman, what the APC tried to enforce in the North-East was not just a political miscalculation—it was a dangerous act of disrespect that the people of the region soundly rejected.
“To undermine your own Vice President in his home zone reveals the rot in APC’s power calculus,” she said. “It sends a chilling message to the nation: loyalty, truth, and dignity are disposable in the corridors of power.”
Observers say the unfolding crisis underscores a broader dysfunction within the ruling party. Smuggled party officials, a fractured structure, and visible resentment now characterise what Tinubu once boasted as a stable ruling platform.
At a time when Nigeria grapples with insecurity, inflation, and institutional fragility, critics argue that the presidency’s preoccupation with political gloating—rather than national healing—is deeply misguided.
Senator Usman warned: “Democracy thrives not when power is monopolised but when it is contested with responsibility. When a leader mocks opposition, it’s only a matter of time before he mocks accountability—and when accountability falls, democracy follows.
“This is not the time for pettiness. It is the time to rise. The Labour Party remains committed to building a Nigeria anchored on truth, integrity, and inclusive governance. We do not mock—we lead. Nigeria deserves better. And we will not stop until we build it.”
