“It’s Not Our Responsibility to Strengthen the Opposition” – APC

Felix Morka, the national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has stated that it is not the responsibility of the ruling party to strengthen the opposition. Morka’s comments come in response to concerns that recent defections to the APC could push Nigeria towards a one-party system.

Speaking on TVC on Friday, Morka emphasized that the APC is maintaining its strength despite various pressures from both within and outside the party. He noted that the APC is holding its own when compared to opposition parties, asserting that the party is strong and resilient. “Our party is standing very strong and resilient, even in the face of enormous pressures,” Morka said.

He acknowledged that political parties inevitably face internal challenges, but insisted that what matters is how the party handles those challenges. He added that every political organization experiences internal contradictions or conflicts of interest, particularly since parties consist of people with diverse backgrounds and interests.

Morka rejected the notion that the APC is weakening democracy by absorbing defectors from other parties. He argued that no democratic system worldwide requires a ruling party to build the opposition. “There is no democratic idea or norms or system anywhere in the world where a party, a ruling party, is under obligation to build the opposition,” Morka said, dismissing such claims as “ridiculous.”

On the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Morka blamed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the party’s current turmoil. He accused Abubakar of violating the PDP’s constitutional zoning arrangement by running for president in 2023, despite an agreement that a southern candidate would be nominated. “The problem in the PDP was Atiku’s obdurate refusal to abide by the convention of his own party and its constitution,” Morka stated, claiming that Abubakar was at the root of the party’s troubles.

Earlier this week, APC’s national secretary, Ajibola Basiru, compared the ruling party to Jehovah’s Witnesses, praising its efforts to build a strong and efficient party structure at all levels of governance.