Sunday Dare, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on media and public communication, has criticised opposition parties over their move to present a single presidential candidate in the 2027 election.
Speaking on ThisDay Live programme on Arise Television on Sunday, the former minister described key opposition figures as “recycled politicians” with little to offer Nigerians.
“These are people who have been ministers, governors, and political actors for years,” he said.
“If you look at their recent performances, whether in executive or legislative roles, there is little evidence of fresh thinking. These individuals have nothing new to offer Nigerians.”
THE IBADAN DECLARATION
Dare’s comments come in response to the Ibadan declaration issued on April 25 by opposition parties, where they resolved to work towards fielding a single presidential candidate for the 2027 polls.
While acknowledging the right of opposition groups to organise, Dare said their actions do not diminish the performance of the current administration.
“That is the beauty of democracy. You have the opposition, you have individuals and political leaders deciding what they want to do,” he said.
“But that does not diminish the fact that there is a government in place that is functional and has measurable outcomes.”
He argued that the opposition is driven more by ambition than by clear policy direction.
“When you look at them, you see over six presidential wannabes. This is a group driven more by ambition,” he said.
Dare also questioned the coherence and credibility of the opposition, drawing a distinction between opposition and healthy political competition.
“Democracy has a standard, and that standard is about competition,” he said.
“An opposition devoid of competition, organisation, coherence and credibility is problematic.”
He added that opposition parties are attempting to rely on the same system they criticise to advance their political goals.
“They are trying every tactic in the book to ensure that the same system they want to mortgage is the one they will use to compete and field a candidate,” he said.
Dare insisted that the opposition is free to present as many candidates as it wishes but maintained that the ruling party remains firmly positioned.
“They are free to field one, five or seven candidates,” he said.
“But they are standing on sinking ground, while President Bola Tinubu stands on a solid ground of performance and outcomes that we can defend.”
