…I Stood Alone Against One-Party Plot In 2003, Says President
President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, delivered a scathing rebuke to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during his Democracy Day address before a joint session of the National Assembly over their claim that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was pushing Nigeria toward a one-party state.
Tinubu assailed the main opposition party with ridicule, saying it was “indeed, a pleasure to witness you in such disarray” as governors and other key members of the party defected to the APC recently.
Atiku and the opposition PDP had earlier issued statements accusing the Tinubu administration of dismantling democratic gains and undermining institutions in an alleged bid to turn the nation into a one-party state.
Recently, former Delta State governor and Atiku’s running mate in 2023 presidential election, Ifeanyi Okowa; the incumbent Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, and the entire local government chairmen in the state, quit the PDP and joined the ruling APC.
Not long after, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, followed suit.
Tinubu, however, described the allegations of one-party agenda as “terrible rumour”. He advised the PDP to “put your house in order” rather than painting false narratives around defections from the party.
“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 INEC,” he said.
In a direct jab at the PDP, which has suffered high-profile defections in recent months, Tinubu said “Equally, my friends, we cannot blame anybody seeking to bail out of a sinking ship even without a life jacket.”
The president recalled that he remained the only opposition governor standing in the Southwest during the 2003 election cycle because others had defection to the ruling the then-ruling party.
“Look at my political history. I would be the last person to advocate such a scheme. In 2003, when the then-governing party tried to sweep the nation clean of political opposition through plot and manipulation, I was the last of the progressive governors standing in my region.
“In all their numbers and false grandeur, they boasted of ruling, not governing, Nigeria for the next half century or more. Where are they now?
“Yet, I stood alone. My allies had been induced into defeat. My adversaries held all the cards that mortal man could carry. Even with all of that, they could not control our national destiny because fate is written from
above. A greater power did not want Nigeria to become a one-party state back then. Nigeria will not become such a state now.
“The failed effort to create a one-party state placed progressive political
forces on a trajectory to form the APC. It put me on the trajectory which has brought me before you today. I dare not do such a favour to any political adversary by repeating the same mistake of political overreach,” he said.
Tinubu assured that, “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 from Delta and Akwa Ibom States led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Pastor Umo Eno and other members of this National Assembly.
“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.”
Tinubu also used the occasion to highlight recent achievements of administration. He cited improved GDP growth, inflation moderation, currency stabilisation, and increased foreign reserves as indicators of successful reform.
He mentioned the rollout of affordable consumer credit through CREDICORP and new initiatives set to empower 400,000 young Nigerians, including members of the National Youth Service Corps, as evidence of youth-centered policies.
Tinubu also touted investments in education, fiber optic infrastructure, and job creation, positioning them as critical to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
He said the government’s “Nigeria First” policy would consolidate market-driven growth, with a focus on food sovereignty and industrial development.
Calling on lawmakers to support his administration’s legislative agenda, Tinubu praised them for passing the tax reform bills, which he said are essential to ongoing economic re-engineering.
The president further called for tolerance and freedom of expression as pillars of democracy, saying, “Do not be afraid to hear an unkind word spoken against you. Some of the best advice a politician gets sometimes comes from his most ferocious opponents. We dare not seek silence because the imposed silence of repressed voices breeds chaos and ill will, not the harmonics of democracy in the long term.
“While malicious slander and libel should not go unattended, no one should bear the brunt of injustice for merely writing a bad report about me or calling me names. Democracy requires a fair degree of tolerance for harsh words and stinging insults. Call me names, call me whatever you will, and I will still call upon democracy to defend your right to do so. Mr. Senate President, Mr. Speaker, Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members.
“Our nation is not perfect, but it is strong. Our democracy is not invincible, but it is alive. And this means our dream of a prosperous, happy nation is still within reach and worth fighting for.”
