The national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has come under severe criticisms over his remarks that Nigeria can become a one-party state.
In separate remarks, the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP), Yoruba socio-cultural group Afeniferei and its Igbo counterpart Ohaneze Ndigbo as well as Yiaga Africa and Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), berated Ganduje for making such remarks they said were undemocratic.
Ganduje, following his meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday, said the APC was not actively pursuing a one-party system, but added that if Nigerians want a one-party state “we cannot quarrel with that.”
According to the APC National Chairman, a multi-party system spoils governance, saying, “Today, China is one of the strongest countries in the world and is a one-party system. We are not saying we are working for a one-party system, but if this is the wish of Nigerians, we cannot quarrel with that.
“You know they say too many cooks spoil the soup; too many political parties spoil governance,” Ganduje said.
He made these remarks following the defections to the APC by Senators Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South) who joined the party after meeting with President Tinubu on Friday.
The NNPP, through its Kano State Chairman, Hashim Sulaiman Dungurawa, accused Ganduje of making remarks showing his disregard for democratic principles.
“I was not surprised by Ganduje’s thoughts on a one-party system, because it shows a lack of commitment to democratic ideals. A true democrat believes in participation, diversity of opinion, and the value of opposition,” he said.
Also, the Labour Party (LP) through its spokesperson, Obiorah Ifoh, said the idea of a one-party system is undemocratic and breeds tyranny.
“Nigerians will not be pushed into that system. Many parties are in crises because their leaders refuse to respect party supremacy. This gives political officeholders cover to defect to the ruling party for relevance and protection,” he said.
Similarly, the Executive Director of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, described the talks by Ganduje as a dangerous signal for Nigeria’s democracy and might hint at a hidden agenda for the 2027 elections.
Professor Kamilu Sani Fage of the Department of Political science, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), said even as a legal one-party system, it poses significant dangers for Nigeria’s democracy.
“There is a system where only one political party is legally recognised, with others banned. That was the case in Tanzania and in many former socialist states. Then there is the dominant-party system, where other parties exist, but one party is so powerful that the rest are virtually irrelevant,” he explained. countries like Cameroon and Uganda, where entrenched ruling parties have weakened democratic checks,” he said.
For the Ohaneze Ndigbo, its spokesperson, Ezechi Chukwu, said the move for one-party state has been rejected adding that it would be contrary to the spirit and letter of the constitution.
“One-party state or mono-party democracy is not healthy for our contemporary polity. The constitution of Nigeria as it is today does not provide for a one-party state. It provides for a multi-party democracy,” he said.
Also Afenifere’s spokesperson Prince Justice Faloye, said a one-party system was undemocratic and warned against not to replicatie the APC’s dominance in Lagos on a national scale.
Faloye said “One-party state is not democratic, and this is a democratic dispensation. We know that’s where they are heading—with defections, intimidating governors to cross over.
According to the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, the move for a one-party state was a sign of authoritarianism creeping into Nigeria’s political system.
“This desire to control every institution of government is what breeds authoritarianism. It limits political pluralism and weakens accountability,” he said.
