A former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, says there is no longer any real opposition in Nigerian politics.
Bafarawa was a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until January 13, 2025 when he announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the party executives, stating that he wanted to focus more on programmes that inspire youths.
In an interview with the BBC Hausa monitored by our correspondent, the ex-governor stated that the country’s politicians only fought in their quest for political positions, without doing anything beneficial for the ordinary citizens.
Bafarawa spoke on the back of recent defections by some prominent politicians from opposition parties are to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former governor alleged that the defections were selfish, and not for the benefit of the masses, emphasizing that “opposition politics is dead in the country.”
“Because of this, there is confusion both for the seekers and those being sought after. The seekers are blinded; they have no faith or compassion. Their only goal is to secure positions. Meanwhile, the masses are blinded by hunger, poverty, and ignorance, so everything is in disarray.
“Today’s so-called opposition is every man for himself. They ask themselves: ‘What can I gain?’ If one door closes to them, they shamelessly find another way, without any fear or shame.
“There is no real opposition anymore. Everyone in the opposition is only concerned about personal gain. Once they get what they want, the idea of opposition disappears, and the masses are left to fend for themselves,” he said.
Bafarawa lamented that politicians fought each other, not for the people’s benefit, but just to grab political offices.
He added, “Whenever you defeat a people with ignorance by denying them education, you have finished them. Here in the North, honestly, about 70% of our youth have no education. How can a country or region develop without education?
“Do the masses even understand their problems? Are they aware of what they are facing? If you blame the poor masses for accepting money on election day to vote, it’s not entirely their fault. They have been impoverished; they have no jobs, no means of livelihood. What else are they supposed to do?”
