Former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has said history has shown that attempts to establish a one-party state in Nigeria are bound to fail, insisting that the country’s real democratic challenge lies in the weakness of political parties, not fears of one-party dominance.
Gambari said Nigeria’s democracy is threatened by the lack of ideology, internal democracy and active citizen participation within political parties, noting that parties have largely become mere platforms for acquiring power.
The former Foreign Affairs Minister made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja while speaking with journalists on the activities of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, where he serves as founder and chairman.
According to him, successive efforts by past governments to dominate Nigeria’s political space through a single party have collapsed, and the current situation is not different.
“I am not at all worried about this country becoming a one-party state. It will not happen, if history is any guide,” Gambari said.
He recalled that the Northern People’s Congress, NPC, dominated the First Republic, yet failed to deliver peace and development, stressing that its dominance eventually led to political instability.
Gambari also cited the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as examples of parties that once believed they would rule indefinitely but were later displaced.
“The NPN felt it would rule forever. PDP once boasted it would rule for 60 years. Where are they today? Any attempt to make Nigeria a one-party state will not succeed,” he said.
He argued that political elites are often too ambitious to remain within a single platform, making one-party dominance unsustainable.
Gambari urged Nigerians to learn from history and focus on strengthening political parties, stressing that strong, organised and ideologically driven parties would make any one-party ambition impossible.
According to him, political parties in the First Republic were more structured, with members actively participating, paying dues and influencing candidate selection, unlike today where party affiliation is largely transactional.
He lamented the ease with which politicians now switch parties without consequences, describing such practices as a major sign of weak party systems.
“In the First Republic, crossing from one party to another meant something. Today, you can change parties in a day with no consequences,” he said.
Gambari maintained that weak political parties, not the fear of a one-party state, pose the greatest danger to Nigeria’s democracy.
His comments come amid growing concerns by opposition parties over the wave of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which some fear could lead to political dominance.
However, President Bola Tinubu and APC leaders have repeatedly dismissed claims of plans to establish a one-party state in Nigeria.
