Governor Abdullahi Sule, from the state of Nasarawa, has dismissed the growing concerns that Nigeria may be drifting towards a unique state under President Bola Tinubu and the ruler Congress of all progressive (APC), after a recent wave of defections of opposition parties.
Governor Sule made the comments on Tuesday while heading to journalists after a meeting behind closed doors with President Tinubu in the presidential town, Abuja.
The meeting, which focused on the problems of governance in the state and internal affairs of Nasarawa, occurred a few days after the governor of the state of the Delta, Sheriff Oborevwori, and his predecessor, the former vice presidential candidate of PDP IFEANYI OKOWA, formally deserted the democratic party of the peoples (PDP) to the APC. Its dropout is the last of a series of high -profile political realignments that have caused a debate on the state of multiple democracy of Nigeria.
When asked if the series of defections could lead to the appearance of a single -party state, Governor Sule said such concerns were unfounded.
“I don't believe, because of the slightest stretch of imagination, that we head towards a unique state,” he said.
“Actually, we don't even want Nigeria to be a single -game state. We just want to be the dominant game … If we can win 90% of the votes, that's fine. The other parts can win 10%.”
The governor insisted that the growing domain of the APC was not the result of the coercive or democratic decline, but due to the broad public support to the reform agenda of President Tinubu.
He cited the efforts of the administration in economic liberalization, elimination of fuel subsidies, reform of the electricity sector and investments in agriculture and the development of vocational skills as key reasons why political figures are aligned with the ruling party.
“When you start seeing many of these efforts and reforms, almost all reforms will come with their ups and downs,” he said.
“But the advantages of some of these reforms far exceed the disadvantages. Then, the people who are satisfied with what they are seeing are the ones who return to the party.”
The comments of Governor Sule arrive at a politically sensitive moment, since the APC seeks to consolidate its national influence before the 2027 general elections, while opposition parties such as the PDP and the Labor Party continue to deal with internal divisions and diminishing influence in several states.
Observers have indicated that the centralization of political power within the APC, although not unprecedented in the fourth Republic of Nigeria, reduce the voices of the opposition and undermine responsibility, unless it is balanced by a robust civil society, credible electoral processes and a genuine intrapartamental democracy.
In addition to the matters of the party, the governor informed President Tinubu about developments in the state of Nasarawa, particularly in the energy and agriculture sectors.
He stressed that Nasarawa currently houses the largest number of mini-group energy projects in the country, attributing this to the state's commitment to take advantage of renewable energy to boost agricultural growth and rural development.
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