Former Chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area in Ondo State, Hon. Banji B. Okunomo, has declared that the outstanding performance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has made it increasingly difficult for opposition parties to remain relevant in Nigeria’s current political landscape.
Okunomo, a lawyer and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made this known in a press statement released on Sunday, where he dismissed claims that the Tinubu-led administration has been silencing opposition parties through intimidation or suppression.
According to him, what has weakened the opposition is not any act of repression but rather the “weapon of performance” deployed by President Tinubu and Governor Aiyedatiwa, which has improved the lives of Nigerians and made it difficult for dissenting voices to find reasonable grounds for criticism.
“There’s a simple truth we must all acknowledge today: opposition only thrives when the ruling party underperforms,” the statement read. “But when a government performs exceptionally, it becomes difficult, even impossible for the opposition to remain viable.”
Okunomo argued that under President Tinubu’s economic policies, Nigerians have witnessed tangible improvements in their socio-economic well-being.
He described Tinubu as a leader who understands what it takes to revive and reposition the nation’s economy.
“Life is better today than it was yesterday and it continues to improve because we now have a leader who understands what it takes to revive and reposition an economy,” he stated.
Taking a swipe at opposition parties, the former council chairman questioned their capacity to offer viable alternatives, rhetorically asking what they bring to the table in terms of governance, economic planning, or political will.
“In truth, the opposition is not dying it is already dead, and it died not by force, but by irrelevance,” he declared.
Okunomo also heaped praises on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, whom he described as “an ever-vibrant and intellectually mobile leader” steering Ondo State towards a new era of development and fiscal discipline.
He noted that under Aiyedatiwa’s leadership, Ondo State has recorded significant gains from regular payment of salaries and pensions to the absence of industrial unrest across sectors.
“No talk of unpaid teacher salaries. No cries from civil servants. No cries from pensioners. No protests from neglected communities. Development is active. Governance is effective,” he said.
Drawing from his personal experience as a former local government chairman during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, Okunomo recounted the financial struggles local governments faced at the time, describing it as a period when survival took precedence over development.
“We engaged in what we called financial re-engineering just to pay salaries. Even then, with all our creativity and effort, we found it extremely difficult to meet salary obligations,” he recalled.
He contrasted that era with the present situation, saying the current administration at both the federal and state levels has brought fiscal responsibility, orderliness, and a structured approach to governance.
“We must therefore give due credit to the actors currently driving the economy, those who are at the helm of affairs now. From the federal level under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to states like Ondo under Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, we are seeing a level of fiscal responsibility and economic recovery that deserves commendation,” he added.
While admitting that the country’s situation is not yet perfect, Okunomo maintained that things are steadily getting better and that the opposition has been reduced to “making noise for the sake of being heard.”
“Let it be known: the silence of the opposition is not the result of oppression, it is the result of overwhelming performance by those entrusted with the responsibility of leadership,” he concluded.
He urged Nigerians to support the current leadership and take pride in the nation’s upward trajectory, stating, “They [the opposition] are not outplayed they are outperformed. Of the truth, this is the Nigeria we voted for and the Nigeria we are now proud to see rising.”
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