Former President Goodluck Jonathan has raised concerns over the subtle erosion of multiparty democracy in Nigeria, warning that the country risks slipping into a one-party state through political manipulation rather than deliberate planning.
Speaking on Wednesday at a memorial lecture in Abuja in honour of late elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark, Jonathan cautioned that undermining opposition parties could destabilise Nigeria’s already fragile democratic structure.
While acknowledging that a one-party system had worked in some contexts, such as Tanzania under Julius Nyerere, Jonathan stressed that Nigeria’s diverse ethnic, religious, and political realities demand an inclusive and carefully designed political framework.
“A one-party state may not be inherently bad,” Jonathan said.
“Julius Nyerere used it to stabilise Tanzania post-independence due to the country’s ethnic and religious diversity.
But it was a deliberate and expert-led decision—not something that happened through political scheming.”
He warned that adopting a one-party system through “the back door” would plunge Nigeria into crisis, urging political stakeholders to protect democratic institutions and allow space for diverse political voices.
Jonathan’s remarks follow growing concerns about political intolerance and a wave of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which critics say is squeezing out opposition parties and silencing dissent.
At the event, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, decried the current state of the nation, suggesting that the efforts of Nigeria’s founding fathers, including Edwin Clark, were being undone.
“The labour of our heroes past is already in vain,” Obi said, citing widespread insecurity, deepening poverty, and soaring living costs as evidence of national decline.
Also speaking, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, who chaired the occasion, emphasised the importance of prioritising national unity above personal or political ambition, saying this was key to Nigeria’s progress.