Lauretta Onochie, former media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, has criticised remarks by Femi Gbajabiamila advising Leke Abejide to remain in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and “fight and scatter” the party, describing it as a threat to Nigeria’s democratic system.
In a post on X, Onochie said the alleged move to destabilise an opposition party from within undermines core democratic principles.
“The news… that Gbajabiamila… is orchestrating internal sabotage within the ADC strikes at the core of democratic norms,” she said.
The ADC stalwart said such actions go beyond political strategy and amount to a “structural threat to political pluralism and institutional integrity”.
Onochie said democracy depends on competitive politics where parties organise freely and contest power without interference from those in government.
She warned that encouraging figures within the opposition to weaken their own party “weaponises infiltration” and erodes trust across the political system.
Raises concern over executive overreach
Onochie said such conduct risks normalising executive overreach, where those in power extend influence into the internal affairs of opposition parties.
“When the presidency or its operatives interfere in opposition structures, it collapses the boundary between state power and party competition,” she said.
She added that weakening opposition parties undermines voters’ ability to make informed choices, warning that it distorts democratic competition.
Onochie also said such actions could create instability, as limiting legitimate political channels may push dissent into more disruptive forms.
She called on Bola Tinubu to act, urging him to address the situation to protect democratic norms.
“A clear corrective step would be to relieve Gbajabiamila of his duties,” she said, adding that failure to act could signal approval of anti-democratic practices.
Onochie said Nigeria’s democracy depends on preserving political plurality and warned against actions that could weaken its foundations.
