The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has condemned as “most unpatriotic” the call by a United Kingdom-based group, Concerned Nigerians in the Diaspora (CND-UK), demanding the suspension of the minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The party’s spokesperson in the state, Mr Darlington Nwauju, described the publication by the group as “idle talk and politically motivated blackmail” aimed at discrediting the minister’s growing reputation for performance and innovation in public office.
In a statement issued yesterday Nwauju said the CND-UK’s allegation that Dr Tunji-Ojo was leveraging his influence to dominate political structures ahead of the 2027 elections was “the Olympian height of preposterousness.”
He noted that politics, by its very nature, involves influence and alignment, insisting that the Interior Minister’s political activities remain within acceptable bounds of conduct.
“So long as the Minister’s activities as a politician do not go beyond the minimum acceptable benchmarks of conduct and standard practice as a public office holder, how does that stand in the way of the CND-UK?” Nwauju queried.
“How does that stop them from supporting their own preferred politicians? Is CND-UK and its convener, Dr Abanikanda Olumoro, trying to vitiate the rights of Dr Tunji-Ojo to associate with other Nigerians?”
The Rivers APC spokesman further questioned the patriotism of the group, noting that it failed to recognise the interior minister’s achievements in repositioning the ministry and restoring credibility to Nigeria’s international image.
“Even looking at their remarks about marketing Nigeria, I ask which Minister in the current cabinet has been a better salesman of the Nigerian brand through his commitment to duty, innovative ideas, frugality and even exceeding revenue targets?” he asked.
Nwauju said the group had never raised its voice when Nigeria faced years of inefficiency and embarrassment over the passport issuance crisis, but now found its voice after the situation was resolved under Tunji-Ojo’s leadership.
He accused the CND-UK of acting as a front for “desperate political actors” seeking to smear the minister’s name, adding that the group’s reference to the 2020 investigation of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was misplaced.
“It is incorrect to say that Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei staged a walkout on the House Committee,” he said.
“I was part and parcel of that process, and what actually happened was that Prof Pondei gasped for breath due to the avalanche of questions and tonnes of evidence he could not contradict. Making reference to a report by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) on this topic is incoherent and shows a lack of due diligence on the part of the CND-UK.”
Nwauju maintained that the Interior Ministry’s performance under Tunji-Ojo had “positively marketed Nigeria,” citing reforms in passport processing, immigration services, and the correctional system.
He urged the group to verify its claims through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act instead of spreading unverified allegations about the ownership status of New Planet Project Ltd, a company previously linked to the minister before he assumed office.
“The CND-UK should use the FOI Act to obtain the facts and discontinue this needless merry-go-round,” he stated.
Concluding, Nwauju said the campaign for Tunji-Ojo’s suspension “speaks volumes of the hatchet job primed by jealous political opponents who are bewildered by the transformation achieved by the Interior Ministry and cannot find a way around discrediting his ministerial credentials.”
He urged Nigerians at home and abroad to ignore the publication and continue to support efforts to reform critical national institutions under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
