By Peter Omopo
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has cautioned against the emergence of a one-party state in Nigeria through political manipulation, warning that such a development could threaten the country’s fragile democracy.
Jonathan issued the warning on Wednesday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at a memorial lecture in honour of the late elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark.
He noted that while some countries have successfully implemented a one-party system, such as Tanzania under Julius Nyerere, those arrangements were deliberately planned to suit their unique socio-political realities—not imposed through subversive tactics.
“A one-party state may not be inherently evil. Julius Nyerere used it to stabilise Tanzania, considering the country’s ethnic and religious diversity,” Jonathan said. “But it was a system carefully designed by experts to foster unity—not something stumbled upon through political gamesmanship.”
He stressed that Nigeria’s diverse ethnic, religious, and political landscape requires an inclusive democratic framework that guarantees fair representation and opposition, not a system that marginalises dissenting voices.
“If we must adopt a one-party system, it must be done transparently and with national consensus. But if we arrive at it through the back door, through manipulation, we risk igniting a political crisis,” the former President warned.
Jonathan’s remarks come amid growing concerns over the shrinking political space and rising dominance of a single party in key institutions across the country.
