Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has dismissed fears that Nigeria is sliding into a one-party state, following a wave of high-profile defections from opposition figures to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking to reporters at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, Governor Sule said the APC’s goal is not to eliminate opposition but to remain the dominant political force.
“We don’t want Nigeria to be a one-party state. We just want to be the winning party,” he said. “If we can win 90% of the votes, fine. Let the other parties compete for the remaining 10%.”
His comments come amid concerns that the APC is aggressively consolidating power, especially after Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor, and all members of the Delta State House of Assembly dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.
Sule, however, insisted that defections are driven by confidence in President Tinubu’s reform agenda, and not political coercion.
“People are returning to the party because of what they see the President doing—reforms in forex, subsidy removal, the power sector, agriculture and skills acquisition. The benefits of these reforms outweigh the disadvantages,” Sule stated.
He emphasized that every political party aspires to be dominant, but democracy ensures that opposition will always exist.
