While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) insists it is not pursuing a one-party state, allegations that it is deploying state apparatus to weaken the opposition have refused to fade. If anything, recent developments have intensified claims that the party is determined to lure strong voices challenging its grip on power ? by any means necessary.

On Monday, a leader of the opposition coalition and former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was interrogated and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraudulent withdrawals amounting to N189 billion during his tenure. He left office more than two years ago.

The invitation and detention triggered a flurry of reactions, coming shortly after the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused the EFCC of conducting selective investigations ?mainly against the opposition,? describing it as a sign of dictatorship.

The coalition alleged the commission was operating like ?a political hit squad for the ruling APC? and warned that ?this dangerous trend is eroding public trust in the institution and undermining the real fight against corruption.? It claimed the EFCC was re-opening closed cases, digging up files from years past, and targeting opposition members with the ultimate aim of making them vulnerable to overtures from the ruling party.

Sources close to Tambuwal insisted the matter was ?100 per cent politics.?

One close associate, who asked not to be named, said the problem began about four months ago when individuals linked to the government approached Tambuwal to join the Tinubu ?train.?

?He consulted some of us around him, and we wondered how we could, in good conscience, work with the government given the poverty and insecurity plaguing the country, especially in the North,? the source said.

The source added that nothing more was heard until about three weeks ago, when Tambuwal received a letter from the EFCC requesting details about his time as governor.

?When he asked the commission for specifics, they failed to provide them. Tambuwal then told them to contact the state to check if there were concerns about his administration. Although they didn?t give specifics, we suspect it may be related to World Bank funds disbursed during his tenure. The money was paid through bank accounts, and Tambuwal was actually given a clean bill of health by the World Bank,? he said.

According to the source, Tambuwal later honoured an EFCC invitation. While his associates met the bail conditions that night, the commission still kept him in custody until the next day.

Another source revealed that a similar approach had been made about six months earlier to former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and ex-governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, to join the Tinubu ?train.? Ihedioha, the source added, also has an EFCC invitation this week.

Tambuwal also echoed the views of his associates while addressing supporters in Sokoto after his release.

He questioned the timing of the invitation, noting it came just as he and others were finalising the coalition?s agenda to unseat President Bola Tinubu?s government in 2027.

?We have been involved in the process of bringing everyone together, because there are two paradigms in Nigeria today: those in government; and those of the people of Nigeria. My colleagues and I have chosen to stand with the people working against sustaining the current bad situation in Nigeria. Once you join the APC, whatever your sins are will be forgiven. Now, I want to ask you: do you want our sins to be forgiven so that we can join the APC? Or do you want us to continue working for the coalition?

?I am going to say what they don?t want to hear: what they fail to realise is that I cannot be intimidated.?

Another coalition leader, Dr. Umar Ardo, who is also the convener of the Northern League of Democrats, confirmed to Weekend Trust that the APC-led government had made overtures to him.

?A minister called me, saying, ?We know what you?ve done. We know your capacity. You haven?t been approached yet, and we want you to work with us. I?ll arrange for you to meet the president, and if he approves, we?ll work together.?

?I didn?t say yes, and I didn?t say no. When the government approaches you, you don?t reject them outright. The government has the power to do good and the power to do harm. The best thing is to keep quiet and continue with your work,? he said in an exclusive interview.

Like Ardo, several other coalition leaders were said to have been approached by APC government agents or party members. Opposition figures such as former Kano State governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, and former National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) director general, Mohamed Sani Sidi, who recently defected from the PDP to the APC, were reportedly courted by the ruling party.

While attempts to confirm this from Shekarau and Sidi were unsuccessful, sources close to the former Kano governor confirmed he had been approached but declined as he was still playing crucial roles in the PDP. On Wednesday, he was among over 40 party chieftains appointed to its power-sharing committee. He currently leads the PDP in Kano and has an eye on the national chairmanship should the post be zoned to the North and micro-zoned to the North West.

?There?s also the potential of Malam emerging as the running mate to either Jonathan or Peter Obi. As permutations over a Jonathan run gain momentum, he called Malam to consider joining him, and Obi also visited Malam to request they work together,? the source said.

Similarly, sources in Kaduna State said Sani Sidi was approached by the highest echelon of the state government to persuade him to return to the APC, with an undisclosed incentive.

Tinubu?s overtures to Kwankwaso

In the case of another Kano political heavyweight, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and political godfather of the current Kano governor, President Tinubu has not hidden his desire to have him on his side.

As far back as 2023, after Tinubu?s electoral victory, both men met and reportedly agreed to work together, with Kwankwaso said to have been offered a ministerial slot.

While the appointment never materialised, to the surprise of many in Kwankwaso?s camp, Tinubu later instructed then-APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, a sworn foe of Kwankwaso, to initiate moves to bring the Kwankwasiyya leader back to the APC.

Ganduje?s abrupt resignation in June fuelled speculation that Kwankwaso?s return to the APC was imminent. However, his recent public criticism of the Tinubu administration is believed to have stalled those efforts. In the meantime, his ally, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa, has visited the president twice in the past fortnight in what close associates describe as fence-mending moves to revive the alliance talks.

Beyond Kwankwaso and other northern leaders like the Kebbi and Kano senators, opposition figures allege that the defection of PDP?s 2023 vice presidential candidate and former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, alongside current Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the PDP?s entire Delta structure, is a clear example of the APC?s carrot-and-stick strategy.

Before his defection, Okowa was invited and arrested in November 2024 over the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion, reportedly the state?s 13% derivation funds from the federation account between 2015 and 2023. According to EFCC sources, Okowa was detained at the Commission?s Port Harcourt office.

However, since his April 2025 defection to the APC, little has been heard of the case, prompting speculation that the move was engineered through EFCC pressure.

While the EFCC denies being used as a political tool, particularly in Tambuwal?s case, which many compare to Okowa?s, questions remain about the timing of these investigations.

Dr. Ardo, however, cautioned against politicising EFCC actions, noting the agency has also arrested and interrogated high-profile APC members.

In the South South, Akwa Ibom Governor, Umo Eno, is believed to have abandoned the PDP?s ?aeroplane? for the APC?s, claiming the former could no longer take him to his ?destination.? His remarks are widely interpreted as a sign that the APC has assured him a smooth return as governor in 2027.

In the South East, Anambra State Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, up for re-election in November, remains in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) but has been fraternising with the APC. He has even endorsed President Tinubu for 2027 on behalf of his party.

The development mirrors that of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is up for re-election in 2026. Both are rumoured to have secured APC backing in exchange for a clear path to re-election.

Ex-ADC chair?s allegation and presidency?s response

On July 30, former ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, claimed he was offered three ministerial slots by people in government to dissuade him from using the ADC as a platform for the opposition coalition.

?Some people tried to discourage us with promises of automatic ministerial appointments. They wanted to give me three ministerial slots so I could take one and give two to others I chose. But I said no. I chose a democratic future for Nigeria. Nigeria cannot be a one-party state, not after all we did to ensure the military returned to the barracks,? Nwosu said.

?By rejecting the offers, the ADC is now the party with the largest membership. We are now the government in waiting, with 28 senators and more than 60 members of the House of Representatives. ADC grew from a small party to a very large party. Nigerians have shown they detest what the party in government is doing.?

But presidential spokesman, Daniel Bwala, dismissed Nwosu?s account as false and unsubstantiated.

?From his words as reported, you know he lied,? Bwala said. ?No government official of whatever rank in our government can promise or grant ministerial slots except the president.?

He added that if such an offer were ever made, it would have come directly from President Tinubu, not from a third party.

Bwala also questioned why Nwosu failed to name those allegedly involved, saying, ?The same courage he mustered to claim he was promised slots could have been used to mention their names and positions in this government.?

Earlier in July, prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) figures emerged from a closed-door meeting accusing the APC-led federal government of using threats, blackmail and patronage to force members to abandon the party.

Debo Ologunagba, PDP national publicity secretary, said the APC was more interested in celebrating defections than showcasing achievements. He accused the Tinubu administration of deliberately weakening opposition parties through coercion and inducement.

?When you find the president of a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society like Nigeria declaring his preference for a one-party state, it shows they continue to aggressively attack the processes of other political parties,? Ologunagba said.

However, at a joint session of the National Assembly, President Tinubu said it was not his responsibility to patch up the internal affairs of opposition parties.

?Political parties fearful of members leaving may be better served by examining their internal processes and affairs rather than fearfully conjuring up demons that do not exist. For me, I will not say, ?Try your best to put your house in order.? I will not help you to do so either. It is indeed a pleasure to witness you in such disarray,? Tinubu stated.

Analysts interpreted the comment as more political than presidential, warning it could reinforce the perception that the presidency and the ruling party were fuelling disarray in the PDP, Labour Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). The continued role of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike in the PDP crisis has been cited as evidence supporting this view.

ADC accuses APC of using coercion; ruling party kicks

ADC national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, told Weekend Trust that the APC was using intimidation to discourage potential defectors from joining the coalition-led ADC.

?We know many people, even within government, who want to join the ADC. Some in other parties are willing too. But many are cautious because they know what this government is capable of. It seems once you oppose the government, they suddenly remember you have questions to answer about past positions you?ve held. Yet once you join the APC, all your ?sins? are forgiven, as one of their leaders said.

?There is fear the government might use this tactic to coerce people into joining the APC. I have often said the government should stop intimidating people and let them freely exercise their democratic rights. What the government is doing with the EFCC is not fighting corruption, it is fighting the opposition,? he said.

Abdullahi added that the ADC was not concerned about whether defectors join now or later, insisting, ?The only truly viable opposition party today is the African Democratic Congress.?

In response, APC national director of publicity, Bala Ibrahim, called the allegation baseless and malicious.

?Let there be facts to show a link between the invitation to Tambuwal, for example. If substantiation is not done, it becomes a malicious allegation aimed at tarnishing the good name of the executive, and by extension, the party that produced the executive. That is the only relationship between the APC and the executive. The APC does not prosecute,? he said.

Ibrahim said the party?s membership drive was about selling its manifesto and policies to democrats, making ?democratically permissible? overtures to join its fold.

?But coercion is not part of that invitation,? he added, noting the party offers a level playing field for those who wish to contest elections.

Like APC, like NPN, PDP

The APC?s alleged courting of opposition leaders ahead of 2027 is far from new in Nigerian politics.

From the Second Republic to the PDP?s 16-year dominance in the Fourth Republic, ruling parties have used appointments, patronage and political concessions to weaken rivals and consolidate power.

In the Second Republic (1979?1983), the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) honed the practice. Without an outright majority after the 1979 elections, it wooed the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP), led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, into the ?NPN?NPP Accord,? which gave the NPP ministerial positions, board seats and policy influence in exchange for parliamentary cooperation.

Over time, the accord fractured the NPP?s unity. Disgruntled state politicians were enticed with federal backing, lucrative contracts or influential appointments if they defected. These defections diluted the opposition and helped the NPN tighten its grip on the National Assembly and expand its governorships by 1983.

Fast-forward to the Fourth Republic, the PDP, in power from 1999 to 2015, similarly used a mix of incentives and pressure to poach opposition leaders, especially before major elections.

Under President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999?2007), the PDP regularly reached across party lines, offering defectors ministerial portfolios, ambassadorships and federal agency chairmanships. Late Bola Ige was appointed as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, though a prominent member of the opposition Alliance for Democracy (AD). Some high-profile ANPP and AD figures switched to the PDP after being promised political relevance or protection from probes.

During the Yar?adua and Jonathan years, the strategy deepened. Control of federal resources, from oil allocations to constituency projects and committee appointments, became a lure for governors and lawmakers. The PDP also allegedly used investigative agencies, including the EFCC, to pressure opposition leaders facing corruption allegations. Some saw their cases eased or dropped after crossing over, echoing NPN-era tactics.

This long-running pattern is believed to highlight a constant in Nigerian politics: ruling parties leveraging both the carrot of patronage and the stick of institutional pressure to absorb opposition heavyweights.

For decades, such tactics have reshaped party structures, weakened opposition cohesion, and raised questions about the health of Nigeria?s multiparty democracy. (Weekend Trust)

Update news