By Salif Atojoko

Mr Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, on Monday urged President Bola Tinubu’s political opponents to refrain from stoking division and “heating up the polity.”

Dare said the president’s critics had launched a wave of vitriol while he was in Tanzania seeking solutions to Nigeria’s energy challenges.

He stressed that President Tinubu remained focused and would only engage in conversations aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians and fostering constructive dialogue on building a resilient economy.

He mentioned recent public criticisms by opposition leaders, including Malam Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, and Mr Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation.

According to Dare, El-Rufai openly criticised both the Tinubu administration and his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for abandoning its founding principles and enabling poor leadership.

Dare quoted El-Rufai as saying, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years, no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”

Dare added that El-Rufai attributed the quality of leadership in political parties to unqualified delegates, saying, “You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders.

“This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today.”

Dare also commented on Amaechi’s remarks about power struggles, where the former Minister of Transportation suggested that Tinubu and the political class would not hand over power to the younger generation without resistance.

In a post on his X handle on Saturday, Dare responded by calling on the political opposition to wait for the next election to test their popularity.

He wrote, “While President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria was away in faraway Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, his political opponents, detractors, and pseudo-friends unfolded their Machiavellian inclinations.

“Indeed, while the President was seeking solutions to Nigeria’s energy problems, some ‘wannabes’ were heating up the polity.”

Dare dismissed the recent criticism as predictable, saying it was “nothing new” and part of an opposition script.

He urged Nigerians to be discerning and choose between political hecklers and real progressives.

“The clouds are beginning to clear. The stage is set soon. The combat begins. Until then, President Tinubu, an avowed democrat, remains undistracted and unperturbed. The fight is ahead, not now.

“The only conversation he wants to have now is how to improve the lives of Nigerian citizens and engage in constructive discourse on building a resilient economy.

“This is 2025, not 2027. Let those who want to test their popularity with Nigerians wait for the next election.

“President Tinubu is fully focused on providing the leadership that will transform our country,” Dare said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru