Nigeria will not become one-party state – Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu said on Thursday that Nigeria will not become a one-party state, addressing a rising concern by opposition figures that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is turning the country into a one-party state.

Addressing a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of the Democracy Day, Mr Tinubu said doing that would be repeating the mistake of political overreach previously attempted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said: “The failed effort to create a one-party state (by the PDP) placed progressive political forces on a trajectory to form the APC. It put me on the trajectory which has brought me before you today. I dare not do such a favour to any political adversary by repeating the same mistake of political overreach.”

Mr Tinubu described the concerns by opposition political parties as a ‘terrible rumour.’

He also denied ever asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to frustrate the registration of political parties.

“At no time in the past, nor any instance in the present, and at no future juncture shall I view the notion of a one-party state as good for Nigeria,” he said. 

“To those who ring the alarm that the APC is intent on a one-party state, I offer you a most personal promise. While your alarm may be as a result of your panic, it rings in error.”

“I have never attempted to alter any political party registration with INEC. Equally, my friends, we cannot blame anybody seeking to bail out of a sinking ship even without a life jacket.”

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

Concerns over one-party state

Mr Tinubu’s comments come amid repeated claims by opposition leaders and parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing the Tinubu administration and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), of stifling democracy and attempts to turn the country into a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In its democracy day statement, the PDP repeated the allegations.

The statement, signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, called on Nigerians to stand against what it described as an alleged plot by President Bola Tinubu and the APC to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

The PDP asked Nigerians, democratic institutions, civil society, and global partners to speak out against the erosion of justice, the rule of law, credible elections, and citizens’ right to political participation in Nigeria.

“Peoples Democratic Party calls on Nigerians to use the occasion of the June 12 Democracy Day to re-awaken and strengthen their resistance to the anti-democratic designs of the All Progressives Congress, particularly the plot to foist a despotic One-Party regime in Nigeria,” the statement said.

“The PDP urges Nigerians, Institutions of Democracy, Organised Civil Society, Development Partners and indeed all lovers of democracy to unite in speaking out against the stifling of democratic tenets of justice, the Rule of Law, free, fair, peaceful credible electoral process and the right of citizens particularly to freely participate in politics and governance in Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that many PDP leaders, including two state governors and many federal lawmakers, have defected to the APC.

Just last week, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State dumped the PDP for the APC.

Before him, there were many more. PDP’s vice presidential candidate in the general election two years ago, Ifeanyi Okowa, also defected to the ruling APC in April. Delta State, a PDP stronghold, has also fallen into the hands of the APC as the governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, led a group of prominent members of the PDP in the state to defect to the APC.

The defections have also hit both chambers of the National Assembly. The ruling party’s control has risen to 68 seats in the 109-member chamber, while the PDP’s count dropped to 30. In the House of Representatives, similar trends have been observed, with several members abandoning opposition platforms due to internal divisions and leadership disputes.

But Mr Tinubu maintains he would never advocate for a one-party state.

“In 2003, when the then-governing party tried to sweep the nation clean of political opposition through plot and manipulation, I was the last of the progressive governors standing in my region,” he said.

“In all their numbers and false grandeur, they boasted of ruling, not governing, Nigeria for the next half century or more. Where are they now?”

“Yet, I stood alone. My allies had been induced into defeat. My adversaries held all the cards that a mortal man could carry. Even with all of that, they could not control our national destiny because fate is written from above. A greater power did not want Nigeria to become a one-party state back then. Nigeria will not become such a state now.”