SUNTV Global | December 31, 2025
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the President Bola Tinubu–led administration of governing Nigeria along partisan lines, alleging that opposition-controlled states are deliberately sidelined while benefits of federal power are reserved mainly for members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Tuesday during a programme on Channels Television, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, claimed that the current administration prioritises party loyalty over fairness and equity in governance.
According to the PDP spokesman, the perceived imbalance has triggered the recent wave of defections by opposition politicians, particularly governors, who he said feel compelled to align with the APC in order to attract federal presence and benefits to their states.
“When you win an election with less than 40 per cent of the votes, you should begin governance from point one by uniting the country,” Ememobong said. “But if you listen to governors who have defected, especially from the PDP, they all say the same thing: ‘We are connecting to the centre so we can take benefits from the centre back home.’”
He argued that such statements reveal a governance structure that is neither inclusive nor egalitarian, adding that it reflects a system where access to federal support is influenced by party affiliation.
“What does that indicate?” he asked. “It shows the inability of the Federal Government to run an egalitarian system. It shows nepotism—running governance based on which party you belong to.”
Ememobong further maintained that opposition-led states are increasingly perceived as being excluded from federal opportunities, reinforcing the notion that Nigeria is being run largely along APC lines rather than as a neutral federation serving all citizens equally.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has dismissed allegations that it plans to target opposition figures through unlawful arrests, detention, or prosecution.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the government described such claims as “false, misleading, fabricated, and baseless.”
The statement addressed reports of a purported programme allegedly named “ADP4VIP” (Arrest, Detain, Prosecute for Very Important Persons), which was said to involve a multi-agency task force comprising the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
According to the government, the alleged document was forged and falsely claimed that the task force, supposedly coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser, was designed to aggressively target prominent opposition figures without due process, particularly within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“The Federal Government states categorically that there is no such programme as ‘ADP4VIP,’” the statement said, describing the narrative as a deliberate act of disinformation aimed at misleading the public and undermining confidence in democratic institutions.
SUNTV Global will continue to monitor developments surrounding the claims and responses as Nigeria’s political landscape evolves.
