Despite a growing wave of defections across Nigeria’s political ecosystem, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule insists the country is far from becoming a one-party state.
Speaking on Tuesday after a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Sule addressed the recent shift of politicians from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). According to him, the mass movement is a reflection of confidence in the current administration’s reforms.
Sule remarked that people are aligning with the APC because of the tangible impact of President Tinubu’s policy decisions, which are already beginning to bear fruit.
He added that it’s only natural in Nigeria’s political culture for politicians to gravitate toward the center of power, especially when reforms appear promising.
The governor noted that his visit to the State House was primarily to confer with the President—who also serves as the APC’s national leader—on pressing matters concerning Nasarawa State.
On the insinuation that the country may be heading towards one party state, he said:
“I think I have answered this twice or three times now. I don’t believe, by the slightest of imagination, that we are going to be a one-party state. If you look at it, no matter how successful we are, even America, for instance, that have the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, you still have the Green Party and so many other political parties that you don’t hear about. So, the same thing with Nigeria.
“No matter what happens, there are people who are going to be in another party. Actually, we don’t even want Nigeria to be a one-party state. We just want to be the dominant party.
“We just want to be the winning party. We just want to be the party. If we can win 90% of the votes, okay, that’s it.
“The other parties can win 10% of the votes. So, it’s not about-and I’m not being sarcastic. I’m just trying to be serious with you.
“There is no way we can be a one-party state. But every party wants to be the dominant party. Every party wants to win elections.
“Every party wants to be able to give back to society and to give back to the people. And I think that’s what our party is doing.”
Read also: Tinubu Commissions Lithium Processing Factory In Nasarawa
“In the next two months, you are coming to commission another one that is going to be three times the size of that one in Nasarawa State. And then there are about three other ones that are coming up by the end of the year.
“So, we are beginning to see more and more development of lithium and tantalite and so many other minerals that we are having in the state.
He explained that these were the kinds of issues he referred to when he talked about reforms and the changes taking place. He added that when he mentioned the country was experiencing the highest number of mini-grids, many people didn’t even understand why. One of the reasons, he noted, was the presence of numerous small-scale companies operating in sectors like agriculture and mining, all of which required power.