Nenadi Usman, chairperson of the Labour Party (LP) caretaker committee, has described the recent chaos at the All Progressives Congress (APC) North-East stakeholders’ summit in Gombe as “political karma,” following President Bola Tinubu’s earlier comments mocking internal crises within opposition parties.
The summit, held on Sunday, June 15, descended into disarray after some APC leaders endorsed President Tinubu for a second term without acknowledging Vice-President Kashim Shettima. The omission provoked outrage among delegates, who disrupted the meeting with protests and threats of violence.
The incident happened just days after Tinubu derided opposition parties for their internal divisions, stating that it was “a pleasure to watch them in disarray.”
In a statement on Tuesday, June 17, Usman said the conflict within the APC was a direct consequence of the president’s earlier remarks.
“Today, we witness the irony of history in motion. Just days after the president’s unguarded and undemocratic remarks, his own party, the APC, has descended into a public crisis in the North East,” she said.
She accused the ruling party of attempting to impose a singular political agenda, disregarding democratic processes and sidelining their own vice-president.
“In their reckless bid to enforce a one-person agenda without regard for process, respect, or even the dignity of their own Vice President, the APC has exposed the rot at the core of their politics,” Usman stated.
She said the North-East region’s rejection of the process highlights a fractured party, with internal discord now publicly visible. “This is not poetic justice. It is political karma. What President Tinubu wished for others has turned to plague his own political household,” she said.
She criticised Tinubu’s earlier remarks, stating that they undermine the spirit of democratic governance. “A president who celebrates the weakening of opposition is, by extension, celebrating the weakening of democracy itself,” she said.
Usman urged Nigerians to demand a political culture where opposition is not silenced but protected, describing it as essential to the country’s democratic health.
