Concern over the internal strife afflicting Nigeria’s two main opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), has been voiced by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA).
According to HURIWA, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) is purportedly responsible for the unrest as part of a calculated attempt to erode political opposition and progressively impose an authoritarian government akin to China’s communist system.
The destabilizing attempts that HURIWA claims are being planned by the APC were underlined in a statement issued by the rights organization and signed by Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, its National Coordinator.
According to the group, the ruling party is purposefully causing division between the PDP and Labour Party in order to strengthen its hold on power.
The group compared the biblical tale of the “hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob,” claiming that the APC is sabotaging internal democracy among these opposition groups in the background while denying any involvement.
HURIWA claimed that the APC’s covert meddling was the direct cause of the most recent political unrest inside the PDP. The organization pointed to the nomination of well-known PDP figure Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State, as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a crucial example.
Since Wike’s allegiance to the opposition party is now in doubt due to his cooperation with the APC-led government, the association claimed that his appointment is a part of a larger plan to undermine the PDP from inside.
As proof of apparent meddling by the ruling APC, the organization cited Julius Abure, the party’s national chairman, refusing to step down as National Chairman of the Labour Party after his term had apparently ended.
HURIWA thinks that outside forces, especially the government’s executive branch, are supporting Abure’s ongoing hold on power in face of legal and constitutional concerns.
The group asserted that the APC’s seeming backing of Abure is intended to destabilize the Labour Party and reduce the political clout of its main figure, Peter Obi, who became a formidable opponent in the general elections of 2023.
“The APC is using Julius Abure to stifle the Labour Party’s ability to function effectively as a credible opposition,” HURIWA asserted.
“By destabilizing the Labour Party from within, the APC is ensuring that the party does not pose any significant threat in future elections, particularly as Peter Obi continues to gain widespread support.”
The rights group also denounced what it called the APC’s willful adoption of restrictive economic policies aimed at making Nigerians destitute and reliant on government assistance.
“This administration’s economic policies are suffocating the Nigerian people, weaponizing poverty to ensure that millions remain poor and dependent on government handouts,” HURIWA stated.
“It is as if the APC is trying to create a communist-style system where citizens are completely reliant on the state, much like what is seen in China.”
