Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has made it clear that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is not striving to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. This statement came after he met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Governor Sule addressed concerns raised by opposition figures about Nigeria’s political landscape, specifically fears that the country is heading towards a single-party system. He explained that the APC’s aim is not to monopolize power, but to remain the dominant political force in the country by winning elections.
Governor Sule pointed out that the recent wave of defections into the APC was a direct result of the administration’s performance under President Tinubu. He noted, “It’s a reflection of the performance of our party and the performance of Mr. President. Mr. President is carrying out a lot of reforms. We saw the first reforms.”
The governor expressed confidence that Nigeria would not become a one-party state, emphasizing that multiple political parties will always exist in the country.
“I don’t believe, by the slightest of imagination, that we are going to be a one-party state. If you look at it, no matter how successful we are, you know, even America, for instance, that have the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, you still have the Green Party and so many other political parties that you don’t hear about. So, the same thing with Nigeria.
“No matter what happens, there are people who are going to be in another party. Actually, we don’t even want Nigeria to be a one-party state. We just want to be the dominant party. We just want to be the winning party. We just want to be the party. If we can win 90% of the votes, okay, that’s it.
“The other parties can win 10% of the votes. So, it’s not about….. and I’m not being sarcastic. I’m just trying to be serious with you. There is no way we can be a one-party state. But every party wants to be the dominant party. Every party wants to win elections.
“Every party wants to be able to give back to society and to give back to the people. And I think that’s what our party is doing.”
On the President’s reforms, he said, “We saw one in the removal of subsidy. We have seen one now in the power sector. In fact, one of the ones that interests me that we are doing is the one of skill acquisition and agriculture.
“So, when you are beginning to see a lot of these efforts, a lot of these reforms, nearly every reform will come with its ups and downs. You know, but the advantages of some of these reforms far outweigh the disadvantages. So, as a result of that, people who are happy with what they are seeing, they are the people who are returning to the party.
“So, I think the party is doing well, and for that reason, the President is also doing well. And that is the reason why people are joining.”
