The European Union (EU) yesterday warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against suppressing a viable opposition in the country.

Head of the EU delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Michel Arrion, said this at a media luncheon in Abuja.

Arrion said the presence of a strong opposition would be in APC’s best interest, saying if there was no strong opposition outside the party, the APC may suffer the same fate as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by having an internal opposition.

Arrion also spoke on the gale of defections following the outcome of the general elections, noting that Nigeria has a long tradition of political cross-carpeting.

“On the defections from the PDP, well, that is human nature and I don’t want to comment on those people. There is a long tradition of those things in Nigeria, which is important.

“It is important that the institutional and the political system gives room for a strong opposition and we hope that the body politics of Nigeria will be able to form a strong, active opposition.

“And I will say that it is even in the interest of the APC because if there is no opposition, there is then an internal opposition. And then, APC could go through the same difficult moment that PDP went through.

“So, I think it is quite important. I think many politicians in Nigeria are clever enough to understand those things much better than I do. This question of having quite cohesive group of opponents and well-organised, is important,” Arrion said.

The envoy further called for a legal framework that can guard against indiscriminate defection in the country.

“You can always impose rules through legal framework when people are changing and swapping from a party to another party, like losing their seats at the Assembly and things like that. 

“I mean, those questions should be treated at political level rather than legal level,” Arrion added.