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Former President Goodluck Jonathan cautions that Nigeria’s complex ethnic, religious, and political landscape demands a more inclusive framework.
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Recent defections from opposition parties to the ruling APC have raised concerns about Nigeria drifting into a one-party state.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that Nigeria’s slide into a one-party state would be detrimental to the country, emphasizing the need for a carefully designed and inclusive political framework.
Speaking at a memorial lecture and day of tribute for the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, Jonathan noted that while some nations have successfully practiced one-party systems, Nigeria’s complex landscape demands a different approach.
“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,” Jonathan said.
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“But if we arrive at it through the back door by political manipulations, then we are heading for crisis.” His warning comes amid concerns over recent defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which some see as a move towards a one-party state,”Jonathan said.
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Jonathan cited the example of Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere, who used a one-party state to stabilize his country in the early days of independence. However, he emphasized that such a system must be properly planned and not arrived at through accident or manipulation.
“Yes, one-party states—countries have managed them. Yes, a one-party state may not be evil after all… But it was properly planned; it was not by accident.” The APC has denied allegations of promoting a one-party state, with Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule stating that the party is only interested in being the dominant party, capable of winning elections.
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