Amid growing unease over a wave of defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC), both the Presidency and the Governor of Nasarawa State have firmly rejected suggestions that a coordinated strategy is underway to transform Nigeria into a one-party state.
In an interview on TVC on Tuesday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisted that the movement of politicians into the APC is entirely voluntary and not driven by coercion or political manipulation.
“There is no truth to the claim,” Onanuga stated. “Those who are joining the APC are doing so of their own accord. They are recognising something others are not—certain values within the APC. That is why they are making the switch.”
He argued that many opposition figures are being drawn to the APC because of the vision and policies that have been implemented under President Tinubu’s leadership over the last two years.
“They believe in the direction the president is taking and the programmes he has initiated,” Onanuga said. “The more people join your party, the stronger it becomes. If they are doing so of their own volition, APC will always welcome them. There is no blackmail involved. These are just unfounded rumours. No one is being threatened by the EFCC. President Tinubu is not building a one-party system.”
Echoing this view, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule also dismissed fears that Nigeria is edging towards single-party rule as opposition members increasingly cross over to the ruling party.
Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Governor Sule asserted that the defections reflect public confidence in the APC’s governance.
“It is a sign of how well our party is doing, especially under President Tinubu,” the governor said.
He pointed to ongoing structural changes introduced by the administration as key indicators of progress.
“The president has launched important reforms. We have seen the unification of the foreign exchange market, the removal of fuel subsidy, and now significant developments in the power sector. One initiative I find particularly promising is the investment in skill acquisition and agriculture,” Sule noted.
While acknowledging that reforms often come with growing pains, the governor maintained that their long-term benefits were persuasive to both political actors and citizens.
“Every reform comes with its set of challenges. But the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term difficulties. That is why we are seeing more people willing to align themselves with the APC,” he said.
On the matter of Nigeria potentially becoming a one-party state, Governor Sule offered a categorical rebuttal.
“I do not, even remotely, believe that Nigeria is heading towards a one-party system,” he said.
“There will always be people in other parties. And, in truth, we do not want Nigeria to become a one-party state. What we do want is to be the dominant party—the party that wins.”
He continued, “If we win 90 percent of the votes, so be it. Let the remaining parties share the other 10 percent. I am not joking, I mean that sincerely. There is simply no path to a one-party Nigeria. But naturally, every political party wants to be the one that leads.”
As the political realignment continues ahead of the next general elections, concerns over the health of Nigeria’s multi-party democracy remain, even as the APC positions itself as the dominant force on the national stage.
