Prince Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has dismissed growing fears in certain quarters that Nigeria might be headed for a one-party state, following the spate of defections from other political parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He stated that nothing of such would ever happen in Nigeria because according to him, there’s no one system of welfare, employment or security.
He said: “There’s no one system of employment. There’s no one system of security. The benefits of politics are flowing in the direction of politicians and a welfare politician changing from party to party cannot say he’s in the same coalition with the poor, who cannot pay their children’s school fees, who cannot sleep well at home and who cannot keep a job.
“And if they have a job, the pay from that job cannot satisfy one percent of their needs. So, there cannot be a one-party state when this is not a welfare state, when it is a selfish accumulation of money for the few who are in the ruling class and the wretched people who are on the streets.”
Explaining further the impracticability of Nigeria turning into a one party state, he drew the line between the rich and the poor, saying, “how can people who are standing in the rain waiting for a car to carry them be a one-party system with those who are using multiple private jets paid for by the public? It is not possible.”
He maintained that massive defection of politicians to one party does not guarantee a one party state, rather what makes a one party state, according to Adebayo, is when they decide that they don’t need any other party outside the ruling party or when there is a ban on registration of new parties.
“So, if all the governors go to one party, Nigeria will choose a new set of governors. If all the senators go to one party, Nigeria will choose another set of senators. So, defection to the ruling party doesn’t make a one-party state.
“What makes a one-party state is when people think that they don’t need any other party outside the one that is ruling, or when people are being forced by law not to create another party.
“In Nigeria, you can create as many parties as you want, but what is going to sustain the party is whether the members of the party believe in that party. And that’s what we’ve been trying to work on since we started leading the SDP, to make sure that only those who believe in the party join the party.
“So, there cannot be a one-party state, when our politics is not based on one set of ideas because everybody will form a party based on the ideas they are pursuing.”
