President Bola Tinubu has said that the notion of turning Nigeria into a one-party state is a pipe dream.
Tinubu was reacting to the fear expressed in certain quarters that the influx of the opposition, especially staunch members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was capable of making Nigeria a one-party state.
Speaking in Abuja yesterday while addressing a joint session of the national assembly in commemoration of the Democracy Day, the president stated that the APC harboured no such ambition, stressing that the alarm about a one-party system was raised in error.
“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 the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” he said.
However, he advised the opposition to put its house in order, saying metaphorically that “we cannot blame anybody seeking to bail out of a sinking ship even without a life jacket” while welcoming the former PDP governors of Delta and Akwa Ibom states, Messrs Sheriff Oborevwori and Umo Eno as well as other members of the national assembly who recently defected to the APC.
“A one-party state is not in the offing. Nor should it ever be. That 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 and I sincerely welcome our party’s newest members….
“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.
“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,” the president said.
