Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has described the coalition of opposition leaders into the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a welcome development that would prevent Nigeria from sliding into one-party system.
Gbajabiamila, who stated this shortly after casting his vote at the Lagos state local government election in Surulere on Saturday, however expressed uncertainty about the prospect of the coalition.
Atiku and some opposition politicians unveiled ADC as the platform to use in unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
There had been different reactions to the recent political moves by the opposition lesders, with some viewing it as a formidable force capable of wrestling power from the ruling APC in 2027, while others are doubtful about its chances of success.
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Commenting, however, Gbajabiamila, said, “It’s a welcome development with the coalition. It’s not the first time we’re seeing this. It’s a welcome development.
“In every democracy, we must have some level of opposition otherwise we’ll run into a one-party state. But I’m not sure where it would go.”
Speaking on the conduct of the LG election, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who cast his vote at Lagos PU 014 on Elizabeth Fowler Memorial High School in the Adeniran Ogunsanya area of Surulere, described the election as peaceful.
He said, “So far, I’ve seen peace, I’ve seen quiet, I’ve seen free and fair election. A little bit disappointed about the turnout which is where we need to work on. There is general low turnout from what I’ve seen.
“Perhaps because people don’t understand fully the importance of local government elections, which is even more important than any other election. We need to sensitise our people. We need to educate them about the importance of grassroot government.
“But so far, it’s peaceful and quiet. It’s free and fair. There are no skirmishes anywhere and that’s what we all want for any election.” he added.
The former national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had earlier suggested that the party was not opposed to Nigeria becoming a one-party state.
“Leaders worried about a one-party state have no need to fear. A one-party state is not by force; it is by negotiation. 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,” he said.
He had also claimed that a multi-party system spoils governance, saying, “Today, China is one of the strongest countries in the world and is a one-party system. We are not saying we are working for a 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,” Ganduje added.
But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while addressing a joint session of the National Assembly on the occasion of this year’s democracy day celebration in Abuja, had ruled out the possibility of Nigeria becoming a one-party state under his watch.
“Nigeria will not become a one-party state. A one-party state is not in the offing. But we will be doing political malpractice if we close the doors for those who want to join APC,” he said.
