“We Are Like Jehovah’s Witnesses, We Go Round to Recruit Members” – APC’s Ajibola Basiru

Ajibola Basiru, National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has compared the ruling party’s grassroots mobilisation efforts to the well-known door-to-door evangelism style of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He made the remark during an appearance on *Politics Today*, a political programme on Channels Television, while addressing claims that Nigeria is tilting towards a one-party system under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Basiru dismissed concerns about the growing number of defections to the APC, suggesting that the problem lies more with an unproductive and unserious opposition. “The politics of the country is not our making,” he said. “We don’t seem to have people who are very serious in opposition and who take their job seriously.”

He challenged journalists to visit opposition party headquarters to observe the lack of activity and engagement, contrasting it with the APC’s constant grassroots work. “We go round, we are like Jehovah’s Witnesses… we proselytise our own party in all nooks and cranny,” Basiru said, adding that under the leadership of National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, the APC is committed to building a functional and efficient party structure nationwide.

Praising the strategic leadership of the president, the Progressive Governors Forum, and the APC’s National Working Committee, Basiru underscored the party’s efforts to stay connected with communities across Nigeria. He made it clear that the APC would not take on the responsibilities of the opposition, urging rival parties to stop “lying to themselves” and instead reflect on their internal shortcomings.

He referenced President Tinubu’s resilience during his time in the opposition, noting his frequent probes by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and his eventual trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Despite the pressure, Tinubu stayed committed to the opposition cause, unlike what Basiru sees as today’s fragmented and weak opposition.

Basiru also dismissed allegations that the APC is coercing defections through state pressure or anti-corruption threats. “Before today, at least 15 members of the House of Representatives from Labour, SDP, PDP, NNPP had decamped to the APC,” he said. “Some of them are first-timers… Do they have any problem with the EFCC?”

He listed recent high-profile defections, including that of Hon. Oluwole Oke from Osun State, and the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who joined the APC before his death. On Wednesday, the trend continued as Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori officially left the PDP for the APC. According to Delta’s Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, the decision was driven by the need to collaborate more effectively for the benefit of the state.