The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, has urged opposition parties to stop attributing their internal disputes to the ruling party, insisting that political organisations must take full responsibility for their internal administration.
Basiru spoke during a media chat on Wednesday, where he addressed recurring allegations that the APC interferes in the affairs of opposition parties or contributes to their leadership crises.
He dismissed the claims, arguing that there was no credible evidence linking the ruling party to the ongoing conflicts within other political platforms.
According to him, most of the crises plaguing opposition parties stem from internal disagreements, poor adherence to party constitutions, and disregard for due process, rather than external influence.
“Have you seen any APC member challenging our internal processes? If you say APC is the source of the problem, then you must first examine whether those parties are following due process,” he said.
Basiru also cautioned against what he described as attempts to undermine democratic institutions through political narratives, stressing that the judiciary should not be dragged into partisan disputes.
“We cannot be casting aspersions on the institution of the judiciary or democracy just to serve political narratives,” he added.
He further criticised situations where political parties proceed with conventions or leadership exercises despite existing court orders, describing such actions as violations of the rule of law.
“Some parties go ahead with conventions despite court orders, which is clearly in violation of the law. Where is the end of political party discipline if people ignore court rulings and still conduct parallel leadership processes?” he asked.
Basiru maintained that the APC remains committed to operating within the provisions of the law and respecting democratic institutions, including the judiciary.
He insisted that opposition parties must “look inward” and resolve their differences in line with their constitutions and legal frameworks rather than shifting blame to the ruling party.