*Amgbare Recounts Tinubu’s Role in Building Nigeria’s Political Opposition
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA), Hon. Ebitimi Amgbare, has weighed in on the ongoing political realignments in Nigeria, urging opposition parties to focus on organisation and strategy rather than lamentations over the emergence of a dominant ruling party.
Speaking during an interview with Erevision MediaTV, Amgbare reacted to reports of Governors Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State allegedly leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a development that has reignited debates over the threat of a one-party state in Nigeria.
According to Amgbare, claims of political marginalisation by the opposition are neither new nor unprecedented. He recalled that during the presidency of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo under the PDP, opposition parties were nearly wiped out in the South-West, retaining control of only one state — a survival he attributed to the political resilience and strategic acumen of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He further noted that similar political dominance was experienced in the North, where the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) suffered heavy losses before a strategic political reconfiguration altered the landscape. Amgbare disclosed that he personally played a role in this reorganisation, leading remnants of the late Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha’s political structure into the Action Congress in 2006.
Reflecting on the post-2007 general election period, Amgbare recounted strategic engagements with Tinubu, including efforts to pressure the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to implement the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Report. These efforts culminated in the formation of the Coalition of Democrats on Electoral Reform, led by elder statesman Pa Ayo Opadokun, with Senator Abu Ibrahim serving as secretary. Amgbare said he functioned as Assistant Secretary, coordinating staff and advocacy activities.
He explained that the coalition engaged embassies and major media organisations across Nigeria, presenting a position paper developed by a committee chaired by former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole Oyegun, with prominent civil society figures such as Femi Falana, Mike Igini, the late Emeka Ezeazu, and other activists as members. He said the advocacy contributed to preventing Prof. Maurice Iwu from securing a second tenure as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Amgbare stressed that Tinubu’s political approach has always been proactive, noting that he never sought external intervention to organise his political base but instead took personal leadership of the process. He added that subsequent efforts included merger talks ahead of the 2011 presidential election involving key political figures such as General Muhammadu Buhari, Turaki Adamawa, Attahiru Bafarawa, and Ken Nnamani, although internal suspicions stalled the initiative.
According to him, these early setbacks eventually paved the way for the landmark 2013 merger that produced the All Progressives Congress (APC) and led to the historic victory of 2015.
In his concluding remarks, Amgbare maintained that the responsibility of rebuilding the opposition lies squarely with its leaders. He asserted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, would not organise the opposition for them, insisting that governance competence and political organisation are lessons best learned through experience.
“President Tinubu is teaching governance by example,” Amgbare said, adding that if opposition leaders genuinely seek guidance, “the Jagaban and Asiwaju of Nigeria” may yet find time to offer it.
Looking ahead, he expressed confidence in the current administration’s trajectory, ending his remarks with a note of optimism toward the 2027 elections: “In God we trust.”
Kindly share
