Tinubu unhappy that opposition parties are in disarray - Akpabio claims

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is disheartened by the rancour in the opposition parties, specifically urging the People’s Democratic Party and the Labour Party to put their houses in order.

Akpabio, a former Akwa Ibom State Governor, disclosed this during the inauguration of Arterial Road N20 Interchange Bridges in Abuja on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

He cited the recent crisis over the PDP National Secretary position and the recent defection of Senator Neda Imasuen from the Labour Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as unpleasant to the polity.

He claimed that the developments saddened the President, who is interested in seeing opposition thrive.

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“However you people got yourself into this confusion, try and get yourself out of it very quickly. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR is interested in seeing a vibrant opposition. As a true democrat, we would like to see a very vibrant opposition in the country. It saddens him when he sees the way the opposition in Nigeria is in disarray," Akpabio said.

“Just before I came here to represent him (Tinubu), I received and read a letter from the Labour Party. So it’s not only PDP that is in disarray. Even the Labour Party is cracked. And people who are strong members of the Labour Party are angling to run Nigeria when they cannot put a small political party like that in order.”

Akpabio says APC doors remain open

However, the Senate President said the ruling party will keep its doors open to defectors, adding that he hasn't grown tired of receiving new entrants into the APC.

“Senator Neda Imasuen just decamped this afternoon from the Labour Party and moved from the left-hand side of the Senate to the right-hand side. So that took my time, Honourable Minister, I had to do that ritual.

“I’m not tired. I’m happy to receive them because our doors are open in the All Progressive Congress. So congratulations to Imasuen, who has decided to leave the fractured Labour Party to join the APC,” Akpabio stated.

Imasuen, who is representing Edo South senatorial district and also doubles as Senate Committee Chairman on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, dumped the Labour Party for the APC on Wednesday.

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His defection continued the influx of opposition members, including governors and lawmakers, into the ruling party over prolonged internal crises in their parties.