Former Governor of Ekiti State, Rt Hon Tunji Odeyemi, has urged Nigerians to resist attempts to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
The chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of doing everything possible to weaken the opposition.
Speaking with journalists on the occasion of his 66th birth anniversary, Odeyemi warned of the dire consequences and imminent threat, saying that such an anti-democratic agenda may collapse democracy.
According to him, a one-party state poses a serious threat to the advancement of democracy and the socio-political development of any nation.
He said: “I think there is a deliberate agenda by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, headed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. To me, this is a dangerous trend, and it would not augur well for our fledgling democracy. No nation can prosper without a vibrant opposition.”
Although Odeyemi acknowledged that the opposition had not lived up to expectations in the discharge of its primary responsibility of holding the ruling party accountable to the people, he urged the opposition to brace up and occupy the political space by keeping the ruling party on its toes.
He said: “Nigerians need a very strong, active, and constructive opposition. Having this will constantly hold the party in power in check, reshape our democracy, and put it on the right track.
“It would be very hard for the citizens to enjoy good governance, infrastructural, or human capital development in a one-party state arrangement. The opposition needs to put its house in order.”
Odeyemi, who served as governor of Ekiti State in an acting capacity for 79 days, said the opposition needs to buckle up, get its acts together, and assert itself as an alternative voice to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy.
The former governor, however, said the PDP is being fully repackaged to halt the alleged APC evil agenda.
