A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Chris Adighije, has said the ruling party is opposed to a one-party system, dismissing fears that Nigeria may be drifting toward such a political arrangement following the defection of several opposition governors to the APC.
Adighije also rejected claims that President Bola Tinubu or the APC was orchestrating the wave of defections, attributing the development instead to what he described as Tinubu’s “deft political engineering,” rather than any form of coercion.
“The President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, seems to know Nigeria better than all of us and he is going in the right direction,” Adighije said. The former senator represented Abia Central Senatorial District between 2003 and 2007.
Responding during an interview with THISDAY on concerns that the ongoing defections of opposition figures, especially governors, could turn Nigeria into a one-party state, the elder statesman maintained that political defections were not new and that such fears were misplaced.
“We are a democratic political party. We always believe in giving an opportunity for opposition. There is no way Nigeria will be a one-party country,” he said, adding: “But if all the people decide to belong to one-party, who are we to say no. In the words of President Bola Tinubu, you cannot ask a man who is in the sinking ship not to jump out.
“We believe in democracy and we are not in any way encouraging a one-party system, but if all the other politicians decide to come and join us, the more the merrier for us. That is our position.
How can they be saying that APC wants a one-party system? No, no, no. We are opposed to that because we are all democrats,” he stated.
Adighije further commended President Tinubu’s leadership, citing what he described as improvements in economic indicators such as food and fuel prices, and expressed optimism about the country’s future if current policies are sustained.
“Now, I understand food prices are beginning to go down, fuel prices are going down. I think if he continues in that direction for another four years, Nigeria will get better than this,” he said.
The former lawmaker spoke at his Okwu Olokoro country home in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, after hosting a socio-political group, the Ikwuano/Umuahia Initiative, which paid him a visit to formally notify him of its decision to appoint him as its patron.
Convener of the Ikwuano/Umuahia Initiative, Chief Ako Atuloma, said Adighije’s political experience and integrity informed the group’s choice, describing him as a towering figure in Ikwuano/Umuahia politics.
“Senator Adighije is our General and whichever direction he points to, we will follow him because we know and we trust him,” Atuloma said.
He added, “We are here for two reasons. First, we came to convey our decisions to Senator Adighije because we have chosen him to be our patron. We don’t want a situation where things are done anyhow in this constituency any longer. We want to ensure a strong leadership that will point the direction. He is our general, we are his troops.
“Secondly, the era when politicians go and buy people to nominate them for elective positions are gone. Our idea now is that we are the ones who will go and invite politicians to come out and run. So when we bring you out to run, then you are responsible to the people.”
The group also informed Adighije of its endorsement of Engr. Godswill Ubani as its preferred candidate for the Umuahia South State Constituency election in 2027, describing him as humble, people-oriented, trustworthy and honest.
In his response, Adighije accepted the role of patron and pledged not to disappoint the group, while urging its members to always engage in wide consultations and adopt consensus in arriving at decisions.
