Why one party system cannot work In Nigeria- Gambari

Against the backdrop of fears that Nigeria is drifting into a one state, Ibrahim Gambari, Nigeria’s foremost diplomat and former Chief of Staff to to late President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, allayed the fears, saying the country can never be turned into a one party state.

This is coming against the backdrop of mass defection of members of the opposition parties into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the 2027 elections.

The ruling party has on the backdrop of the ongoing defections boasted that it will attract new fewer that 30 governors before the 2027 general elections.

The planned defection of Governor Abba Yusuf  of Kano State from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has further heightened the fear among the opposition parties.

The opposition believe that it will be almost impossible to hold the Federal Government into account with such one party system.

The APC has already endorsed President Bola Tinubu as its Presidential candidate, a development the opposition fears may frustrate any plans to ensure a competitive election in 2027

But Gambari, speaking with Journalists in Abuja on Wednesday in Abuja, cited the country’s experience under the People’s Democratic Party’s sixteen years rule, adding the party had boasted that it will ” govern Nigeria for half a century”

He said, “I’m not at all worried about this country becoming a one-party state. You know what? You can quote me. It will not happen, if history is any guide. You know, we don’t even know our own history.

“This administration is not the first to try to have a dominant party in Nigeria. Right from the beginning, the NPC was a dominant party in the First Republic. They were not the ones who caused the crisis in the main opposition, but they didn’t discourage it. In fact, they took sides. Where has that led us? It didn’t lead us to peace or development; it led to chaos.”

Gambari, who is the founder of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democratic and Development (SCDDD), a non-governmental think-tank on research and policy studies on conflict prevention and resolution as well as democratisation and development in Africa, said that history is not on the side of a one-party state in Nigeria or anywhere else.

He however faulted the current opposition parties for not being well rooted in ideologies.

“No could have convicted late Obafemi Awolowo to abandon the Unity Party of Nigeria to join the National Party of Nigeria NPN because parties then well rooted in ideologies

“The NPN became so confident they felt that they would be there forever. What happened to that? In the end, it didn’t work. Third one, PDP, not long ago they were boasting that they would rule for 60 years. Where are they today? So any effort to make this country one-party will not work.

“And sometimes it will not work for the wrong reasons, because the political elites are too ambitious to be contained within one political party. It will break. But let’s not wait till it breaks with all the negative consequences to draw lessons from history. As somebody said, if you don’t learn from history, you continue to repeat history’s mistakes. So it will not happen.

“History is not on the side of a one-party state in Nigeria or anywhere else. But it will not happen by itself. Multiparty democracy requires commitment and organization, and we all have roles to play”, he added.

He advised that we must pay attention to how political parties are organised in the country, adding that if political parties are well structured, nobody will try to nurse the idea of one party state.

Gambari said: “We must pay attention to how political parties are organized in this country, because if we have strong political parties, nobody will even try to make a one-party state. It will not be possible. But because we have no organized political parties, our political parties have become just vehicles to gain political power. That’s all. Because our constitution doesn’t allow for independent candidates, you have to belong, so it’s a party of convenience.”

He further said: “Political parties are flags of convenience. You know when you look at ships, you can have an American ship flying a Panama flag. So political parties are just carrying flags of convenience to gain power, not organized based on ideology or perspectives that make one distinct from the other.

“In the First Republic, if you crossed from NPC to NCNC or Action Group, it was a big deal. There were clear differences. But today, because there is no real distinction, you can move—as I jokingly say—you can be APC in the morning, PDP in the afternoon, and APC again the next day, no questions asked, because there are no consequences.

“In some other systems, if you move after being elected under one platform, your seat is declared vacant and you have to contest again, because otherwise you are living under false pretenses. We elected you under one pretense, and now you have decided to junk it.”

He also advised that we limit the role of money on how people get to the office, noting that many politicians don’t want fair play, as leadership by example has failed in the country, adding, “the leaders we have now do not show leadership by example.”

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date