The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged opposition parties and critics of President Bola Tinubu to embrace the contest of ideas in 2026, saying democracy cannot flourish on bitterness and grievance politics.

“Democracy flourishes on the contest of ideas, not on the circus of bitterness,” the party said in a statement on Monday by its Lagos spokesperson, Seye Oladejo.

“An opposition that survives solely on obstruction, incitement, and grievance merchandising does not strengthen democracy; it pollutes it. Nigeria deserves critics with ideas, not professional complainers who mistake noise for relevance.”

Mr Oladejo said the APC observed that the opposition remained “confused, divided and devoid of credible policy alternatives,” despite repeated electoral opportunities.

“Rather than introspection or renewal, the opposition has perfected the art of crying foul where none exists. This persistent refusal to accept electoral reality is neither democratic nor patriotic,” the spokesman said.

He stressed that accountability should not be misrepresented as persecution in a constitutional democracy.

Mr Oladejo said, “In any serious democracy, the rule of law is not suspended because a politician feels offended. Criminal allegations are not acts of witch-hunt, and courtrooms are not theatres for political melodrama.

“Only in the imagination of a desperate opposition does accountability automatically translate to persecution.”

The spokesman also urged opposition parties to take responsibility for their internal challenges instead of blaming institutions and imaginary enemies.

“When a household is perpetually on fire, it is dishonest to keep accusing the neighbours of arson. Political incompetence is not cured by outsourcing blame. A credible opposition must first learn to govern its own affairs,” he said.

Mr Oladejo further called on opposition figures to demonstrate moral clarity in condemning terrorism, criminality, and violence.

“The opposition must grow the moral spine to condemn terrorism without footnotes or ethnic calculations.

“A political tendency that condemns terror in one breath and rationalises it in another has forfeited moral authority. Nigeria deserves principled leadership, not selective outrage,” Mr Oladejo said.

He cautioned against what he described as reckless rhetoric and daily prophecies of doom, insisting that Nigeria is not a failed state.

“Those who seek leadership must stop cursing the country they claim to love,” he said.

Mr Oladejo said that while the opposition focused on complaints, the APC-led federal government under President Tinubu was doing the difficult work of governance.

According to him, the Tinubu administration is fixing a distorted economy and strengthening the nation’s security architecture.

He urged opposition parties to adopt a new political culture anchored on ideas, patriotism, and credible alternatives.

He added, “Nigeria needs critics, yes, but not critics who mistake bitterness for vision. Nigerians are no longer impressed by political tantrums.”

(NAN)