Former President Goodluck Jonathan has cautioned against Nigeria slipping into a one-party state, warning that such a development poses serious risks to the country’s stability.
Jonathan gave the warning in Abuja on Wednesday during a memorial lecture and tribute held in honor of the late elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark. Clark, a prominent Ijaw leader and politician, passed away in February at the age of 97.
Speaking at the event, the former president criticized attempts to consolidate political power through defections and manipulation, emphasizing that any move toward a one-party system must be deliberate, inclusive, and expert-driven—not the result of political scheming.
“If we must, as a nation, adopt a one-party system, then it must be designed and planned by experts—and we must fully understand what we are getting into,” Jonathan said. “But if we arrive at it through the back door by political manipulations, then we are heading for a crisis.”
His comments come amid growing concerns over Nigeria’s political direction, following a wave of defections from opposition parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The defections have further weakened the opposition, raising fears of democratic erosion.
Reports also suggest that some PDP governors, including Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno and Osun’s Ademola Adeleke, are throwing their support behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Jonathan acknowledged that while some countries have successfully implemented one-party systems, such models emerged under unique historical and social contexts. He cited Tanzania under Julius Nyerere as an example, noting that Nyerere used a one-party model to maintain unity in a diverse society.
“Nyerere believed that, like Nigeria, Tanzania had too many tribes, languages, and two dominant religions—Christianity and Islam. He feared that multi-party politics could lead to division along ethnic or religious lines,” Jonathan explained. “But that system was carefully planned, not imposed by political maneuvering.”
He concluded by stressing that Nigeria’s complex ethnic, religious, and political landscape demands an inclusive and well-thought-out democratic framework, warning that the alternative could lead the nation down a dangerous path.
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