One-Party State: Nigerians Will Decide Not Opposition Leaders – Ganduje
BY EDMOND ODOK – Amid the alarm being raised by opposition leaders that Nigeria is drifting towards a one-party State, National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, says Nigerians have the right to decide what they want.
He said the APC cannot quarrel with Nigerians if it is their desire and will that the ruling party takes control of virtually all states of the Federation and the Centre.
Ganduje who led three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators to see President Tinubu after they reportedly agreed to join the APC, said a shift towards a single-party system could be considered a democratic outcome if achieved through voluntary political realignments.
According to him; “Opposition leaders should not be worried about one party state. If a one-party state is a wish and blessing to Nigeria, then so be it.
“A one-party state is not by force. It is by negotiation, and it is by other political parties seeing the effect of the positive governance of our party. If they decide to come to our party willingly, I think there is nothing wrong with that.”
Ganduje, who addressed State House Correspondents after meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday cited China’s political model as an example of how a one-party system could still deliver effective governance to the people.
“Today China is one of the strongest countries in the world and it’s a one party system. We are not saying we are working for one-party system but if this is the wish of Nigerians, we cannot quarrel with that
“You know they say too many cooks spoil the soup, too many political parties spoil governance.”
On the recent defections of some PDP top shots and visit of PDP lawmakers to Mr President, the former Governor of Kano State said, “it is in continuation with the initiative of President Tinubu that APC must do what we must do democratically to increase our numerical strength
“And in this incident, not only our numerical strength but also our quality and capacity of our followership .
“In this respect in particular for Kebbi State, a lot of discussions under ground. Negotiations went on underground between the major stakeholders in the State and now they have come to the conclusion that results, the three Senators, the PDP senators from Kebbi State have agrees and resolved that they are decamping to our great party, the APC.
“This is a good development and it is in consonance with what is happening in Nigeria today. Almost every week in the Senate and House of Representatives, you see members of other political parties decamping to our party
“So, we came here so that Mr President will bless this resolution and Mr President has graciously blessed this resolution and by Tuesday, you will see what will happen in the Red Chamber.”
Further addressing issues around growing concerns about APC’s dominance in national and state politics arising from the wave of defections by opposition politicians to the ruling party, Ganduje said, “our constitution is very clear about this and not only that, our political dexterity in managing such affairs is on the table so I assure you that there will be a smooth integration.”
