I Did Not K!ll The Opposition, Defections Were Voluntary

I Did Not K!ll The Opposition, Defections Were Voluntary – Tinubu
Says critics free to express opinions
Urges constitutional reform for state police

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday night dismissed claims that he was responsible for defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress, stating that he neither coerced nor forced anyone to abandon their political platforms.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Tinubu spoke during an interfaith breaking of fast with members of the Senate at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he addressed growing criticism over the wave of defections into the APC.

The President said critics were entitled to their opinions but maintained that he played no role in weakening opposition parties.

“Critics must talk. When they accused me of killing the opposition, but I didn’t have a gun. I could have given myself a licence when I had the authority.

“But I can’t blame anybody for jumping out of a sinking ship if they did,” he said.

Tinubu stressed that those who defected to the APC acted of their own free will and insisted he did not abuse his office or deploy state power against any political group.

The President also called for national unity in confronting insecurity, including terrorism and banditry.

“What we have faced in the challenging period of this country, the terrorism and banditry, is causing us havoc. And we should pull together, 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.

Tinubu described Nigeria as severely challenged by terrorism, banditry and insurgency, warning that urgent constitutional reforms were necessary to secure forests and protect vulnerable communities.

I Did Not K!ll The Opposition, Defections Were Voluntary – Tinubu

He urged the National Assembly to begin amending the Constitution to allow for state police, arguing that decentralised policing would strengthen the country’s security architecture and address emerging threats more effectively.