I didn’t force defections — Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has dismissed allegations that he is orchestrating defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting he neither coerced nor pressured any politician to abandon their platform.

Tinubu made the remarks on Wednesday during an interfaith Iftar with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he addressed claims that his administration is deliberately weakening opposition parties.

Responding to critics, the President said they were entitled to their views but rejected accusations that he was responsible for the internal crises facing rival parties.

“When they accused me of killing the opposition, but I didn’t have a gun. I could have given myself a licence when I have the authority,” he said.

Tinubu added that he could not fault politicians who chose to defect, likening such decisions to leaving a “sinking ship.”

“But I can’t blame anybody for jumping out of a sinking ship if they did,” he stated, while pointing to terrorism and banditry as major national challenges contributing to political tensions across the country.

The President urged political leaders to prioritise unity in line with the vision of Nigeria’s founding fathers, stressing that constitutional democracy is designed to promote cooperation rather than conflict.

“We should pull together and unite in a way that our forefathers contemplated to bring about a constitutional democracy and pull us together. They didn’t say we should fight. It’s a good thing that we are working in harmony,” he said.