There is no attempt to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reaffirm yesterday.
Confirming his commitment to a flourishing multi-party democracy, he said the fear of a single party system is premised on rumour and alarm.
He said the perception that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was scheming to dominate the polity to the exclusion of other parties would never happen under his leadership.
President Tinubu allayed the fear of the opposition and other critics about the likely alteration of the existing party system during his inaugural ‘State of the Nation Address’ before a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja.
The session was attended by eminent Nigerians, including previous presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The President was accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima and some ministers.
The address was punctuated by rounds of claps by the lawmakers.
The song “on your mandate we shall stand” a Tinubu support anthem, was played freely during the ceremony.
It was the major highlight of the ‘Democracy Day, which commemorated the 26 years of uninterrupted civil rule and the anniversary of the June 12, 1993 presidential poll won by the candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), the late Chief Moshood Abiola.
It was the second time the President was dispelling the claim by some opposition leaders that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was scheming for a one-party state.
He spoke on it during the APC summit at Aso Villa last month.
At the ceremony, the President also unveiled a credit scheme for 400,000 youths, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Urging Nigerians to be full of hope for a brighter future, he explained that the country’s 46 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth – the highest ever in a decade – is an indication of steady economic recovery.
‘No room for one party system’
The defections to the ruling party has upset opposition figures, who raised the alarm that the country may become one party state.
Apart from federal and state lawmakers who have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Umo Eno, along with their elected party and government officials, heightened the fear.
However, the President said the opposition had regressed into panic in error, saying that one-party system is unsuitable for Nigeria.
He said: “At this point, I plead for your indulgence so that I may put a terrible rumour to bed. 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.
“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. I have never attempted to alter any political party registration with INEC.”
President Tinubu recalled that when he was the opposition arrowhead, he opposed the move by the PDP to entrench itself across the six regions.
He said: “Look at my political history. 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.”
The President also recalled that despite the numerical and structural dominance of the PDP at the time, it failed to extinguish pluralism.
Allaying the fear of the opposition, he said: “A greater power did not want Nigeria to become a one-party state back then. Nigeria will not become such a state now.”
Tinubu noted that the failed one-party ambition of the early 2000s catalyzed the birth of the APC and his own rise to national prominence.
He stressed: “The failed effort to create a one-party state placed progressive political forces on a trajectory to form the APC. It put me on the trajectory which has brought me before you today.”
The President said under his administration, the democratic space would remain open and competitive, insisting that “a one-party state is not in the offing, nor should it ever be”.
However, President Tinubu defended the defections to the APC from opposition parties, saying it would be undemocratic to shut the party’s doors at the defectors.
He said: “We would be guilty of political malpractice if we closed the door on those from other parties who now seek to join the APC. I sincerely welcome our party’s newest members from Delta and Akwa Ibom states, led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Pastor Umo Eno and other members of this National Assembly.”
Flaying the critics of defections, the President said opposition leaders who are worried about the defections should put their house in order by addressing their internal weaknesses.
He added: “Political parties fearful of members leaving may be better served by examining their internal processes and affairs rather than fearfully conjuring up demons that do not exist.
“For me, I would say try your best to put your house in order. I will not help you do so. It is, indeed, a pleasure to witness you in such disarray.”
However, President Tinubu said inclusive governance and respect for political plurality should be sustained.
He stressed: “We must welcome and accept the diversity and number of political parties just as we welcome and embrace the diversity of our population.
“Our efforts must never be to eliminate political competition but to make that competition salutary to the national well-being by working across the political aisle whenever possible.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
