In a recent interview with Nigerian Tribune on Saturday, April 18, 2026, former Governor of Sokoto State and leader of the All Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has expressed concern over the state of opposition politics in the country.
Tambuwal explained that his comments about the current administration reflect a pattern he has observed over time, according to him, opposition parties in Nigeria are often faced with internal crises, while the ruling party appears more stable, he said this trend has raised serious concerns about the balance of the country’s political system.
He noted that several opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, have experienced frequent leadership disputes and divisions and suggested that these repeated crises may not be ordinary political disagreements but could point to a wider issue affecting opposition groups.
The senator drew a comparison with Nigeria’s past, he referred to the period during the rule of Sani Abacha, when political parties were seen to align behind a single power structure and recalled how Bola Ige once described that era in critical terms, highlighting the lack of true political competition at the time.
Tambuwal added that in some cases, internal conflicts within parties appeared to reduce when certain key figures left their positions, this, he said, has led to questions about whether such developments are purely coincidental or part of a larger pattern.
He stressed that a strong opposition is necessary for any democracy to function well, according to him, when opposition parties are weakened, voters are left with fewer choices, and this can affect the quality of governance.
”What we are witnessing is a pattern where opposition parties are persistently weakened. It reminds some of us of the transition period under the late General Sani Abacha, when political parties, despite their differences, ended up aligning behind a single candidate,” he said
