ABUJA — Former presidential aide and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bashir Ahmad, OON, has defended the continuous public scrutiny and political attacks directed at Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, framing it as standard democratic opposition strategy ahead of upcoming electoral contests.

In a statement posted on social media, Ahmad responded to criticisms from Obi’s supporters regarding frequent political broadsides from ruling party loyalists, asserting that political figures in the race remain legitimate targets for ideological and rhetorical challenge.

APC Defense of Political Counter-Strategy

Addressing members of the opposition and the public, the former media aide emphasized that opposition figures must expect constant scrutiny as part of active political engagement:

• Opposition Duty: “Peter Obi is a presidential candidate contesting against the candidate of our great party. Don’t expect us to remain silent when he makes statements or commits blunders that present an opportunity for us to use against him,” Ahmad stated.
• Persuading the Electorate: Ahmad explained that the objective of challenging Obi’s public utterances is “to persuade those who are blindly and unthinkingly following him to join our fold.”
• Continuous Scrutiny: He insisted that as long as the Labour Party flagbearer remains active on public platforms, ruling party strategists will continue to analyze and counter his positions: “As long as Peter continues to speak, there will always be statements for us to scrutinize and challenge.”

Political Context and Election Prep

Ahmad’s commentary underscores the ongoing media and communications clash between ruling party media teams and opposition platforms ahead of general election cycles:

  PARTY POSITION:     APC actively challenging opposition public statements & policies
  TARGET CANDIDATE:   Peter Obi (Labour Party)
  STRATEGIC GOAL:     Neutralizing opposition narratives & winning over unaligned voters

Political analysts note that public messaging from both ruling and opposition stalwarts continues to intensify as parties structure their communication strategies and consolidate voter support across key geopolitical zones.