Don’t create one-party state through backdoor, Jonathan warns

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned against any attempt to transform Nigeria into a one-party state through political manipulation, stating that such a move would be dangerous and destabilising for the country’s fragile democracy.

Jonathan issued the warning in Abuja on Wednesday while delivering a tribute at a memorial lecture held in honour of the late elder statesman and nationalist, Chief Edwin Clark.

While acknowledging that some countries have successfully practised one-party systems under unique historical and social conditions, the former president cautioned that Nigeria’s complex ethnic, religious, and political landscape demands a more inclusive and carefully designed political framework.

“Yes, one-party states—countries have managed them,” Jonathan said. “Yes, a one-party state may not be evil after all, because Julius Nyerere of Tanzania used a one-party state to stabilise his country in the early days of independence.”

He continued: “He felt that the country, just like Nigeria, had too many tribes and tongues, and two principled religions—Christianity and Islam. If we allow multiple parties, some may follow religious lines, others tribal, and unity will be difficult. But it was properly planned; it was not by accident.”

Jonathan, however, warned that Nigeria must not slide into a one-party system by stealth or coercion. “If we must, as a nation, adopt a one-party system, then it must be designed, planned by experts—and we must know what we are going in for. But if we arrive at it through the back door by political manipulations, then we are heading for crisis.”

He advised that the current multiparty democracy, despite its imperfections, remains better suited to Nigeria’s diverse population. “Probably, in a country like Nigeria, it’s better we allow the system to stay as it is,” he said.

“But if for some reason we must adopt a one-party system, then it should not be accidental. It should not come through political manipulation.”

The former president’s remarks come amid growing concerns about the shrinking space for opposition politics, with an increasing number of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and complaints from civil society about creeping authoritarianism.

Jonathan also urged Chief Clark’s family to institute an annual memorial lecture in honour of the late nationalist, saying it would help sustain his vision for a united, equitable, and prosperous Nigeria.

Also speaking at the event, Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, lamented that the sacrifices made by Nigeria’s founding fathers and nationalists like Edwin Clark were being squandered.

“The labour of our heroes past is already in vain,” Obi said. “The state of insecurity, poverty in rural communities, and the rising cost of living have all betrayed their sacrifices.”

In his own remarks, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, who chaired the occasion, reiterated the importance of unity in the country. “Nigeria can only make progress when national interest is placed above personal ambition,” he said.

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