“If One-Party State Is What Nigerians Want, So Be It” – Ganduje

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has dismissed concerns raised by opposition leaders that Nigeria is drifting towards a one-party state. Speaking to State House correspondents on Friday after meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Ganduje stated that if the APC’s growing dominance reflects the will of the people, then there is no cause for alarm.

Ganduje made the comments after leading three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators from Kebbi State—who have reportedly agreed to defect to the APC—to a meeting with President Tinubu. According to him, a one-party state is not something that is imposed but rather a product of negotiation and attraction to good governance. “If one-party state is a wish and blessing to Nigeria… it is not by force, it is by negotiation and by other political parties seeing the effect of the positive governance of our party,” he said.

He further remarked, “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.”

On the wave of defections to the APC, Ganduje said it is in line with President Tinubu’s agenda to strengthen the ruling party’s base both numerically and qualitatively. He revealed that in Kebbi State, “a lot of discussions and negotiations went on underground between the major stakeholders,” resulting in the three PDP senators deciding to switch allegiance to the APC.

He noted that the move aligns with a broader trend in the National Assembly, where lawmakers from other parties are frequently defecting to the APC. “Almost every week in the Senate and House of Representatives, you see members of other political parties decamping to our party,” Ganduje said.

He added that President Tinubu has given his blessing to the latest defections, and more developments are expected to unfold in the Senate by Tuesday. Ganduje concluded by assuring that the APC has the constitutional and political capacity to integrate new members smoothly.