Nigerian leader denies one-party plan after he's accused of clamping down on opposition
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday denied that there were plans to turn Africa's largest democracy into a one-party state, pushing back against claims that he's using state mechanisms to convince high-profile opposition politicians to defect to the governing party.
Several governors and federal lawmakers have left opposition parties in recent months to join Nigeria's All Progressives Congress party. Abdullahi Ganduje, the governing party's chairman, has also said there was 'nothing wrong' with Nigeria becoming a one-party state, angering many in a region threatened with shrinking democratic space.
In his Democracy Day address to federal lawmakers, Tinubu said that he would be 'the last person' to advocate for Nigeria to drop its multiparty structure and adopt a one-party system.
"At no time in the past, nor any instance in the present, and at no future juncture shall I view the notion of a one-party state as good for Nigeria,' he said.
Dozens of youths, meanwhile, staged protests in the nation's economic hub of Lagos, where they accused the government of bad governance and profiting off state resources at the expense of millions of citizens.
The weakening of the opposition membership — despite claims of bad governance — is because Tinubu has gone after opposition politicians with 'compromised state apparatus', according to Debo Ologunagba, spokesman for the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP.
Nigerian law enforcement agencies are commonly accused of a one-sided fight against corruption in favor of members of the country's governing party.
Nigerians should resist "the plot to foist a despotic one-party regime in Nigeria,' Ologunagba said.
Some governing party members have also criticized any move towards a one-party system.
'One-party dominance is a sign of the death of democracy,' Ali Ndume, a governing party senator, told The Associated Press. 'We need to have a system that makes it difficult for people to decamp.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
China to remove tariffs on African imports to boost trade
China says it will sign a new economic pact with Africa that will get rid of all tariffs on the 53 African states it has diplomatic ties with – a move that could benefit middle-income nations as they prepare for tariff hikes on products entering the United States. The move, announced at a China-Africa co-operation meeting (FOCAC) in Changsha, central China, comes as the continent faces the possibility of increased tariffs on its products entering the US. The Asian economic giant already offers duty- and quota-free market access to least developed countries (LDCs), including 53 countries in Africa, but the new initiative will level the playing field by also offering middle-income countries similar market access. Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is the only African country excluded from the zero-tariff deal. It maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan, whereas China regards it as a breakaway province. The timing of Beijing's decision is significant. In April, President Donald Trump announced high tariffs on its imports from many countries, including a 50 percent rate for Lesotho, 30 percent for South Africa and 14 percent for Nigeria. Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:China courts African allies as tensions with Europe, US deepenFrance pushing for 'China-EU leadership' on climate to counter US withdrawalKenyan president visits China as country pivots away from the US
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
The human suffering of Sudan's brutal civil war
Christiane Amanpour speaks with photojournalist Giles Clarke about his recent visits to Sudan and his photographs documenting the devastation wrought by an ongoing civil war.
News24
3 hours ago
- News24
‘It is insulting': Nigerian president's pardon of 'Ogoni Nine' draws ethnic group's rejection
Ogoni activists criticised President Bola Tinubu's posthumous pardon of the 'Ogoni Nine,' including Ken Saro-Wiwa, calling it 'insulting' and demanding full exoneration instead of pardon. Activists argue that Shell's pollution in the oil-rich Niger Delta remains unresolved and that Tinubu's push to resume oil drilling in Ogoniland underscores ongoing environmental and community injustices. The executions of the Ogoni Nine sparked global outrage, and the Niger Delta's environmental devastation continues to highlight the broader economic and ethical tensions in Nigeria's reliance on oil revenues. Nigeria's Ogoni activists on Friday rejected a posthumous pardon for nine members executed three decades ago by a military dictatorship, criticising President Bola Tinubu's move as inadequate and perpetuating injustice. To commemorate Nigeria's Democracy Day on 12 June, Tinubu pardoned the men, known as the "Ogoni Nine", including writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were hanged after being tried by a military tribunal for their protests against Shell's pollution in the oil-rich Niger Delta, which is home to the Ogoni ethnic group. The executions sparked international condemnation against Nigeria's then-military junta and continue to be a contentious issue in the nation's history. "You cannot pardon someone that has not committed an offense; we are demanding total exoneration," said Celestine Akpobari, coordinator of the Ogoni Solidarity Forum. "To say 'pardon', I think it is insulting. If there is any group who needs pardon, it is the Nigerian government that has committed so much crime against the Ogoni people," he told Reuters. Tinubu's spokesperson rejected such criticism. "The president has done what is normal. They can make an argument for exoneration and the president will look into it," Bayo Onanuga told Reuters. Shell, which halted oil drilling in the area in the early 1990s and later sold its assets there, has denied any responsibility or wrongdoing. Tinubu's efforts to resume oil drilling in Ogoniland have drawn fresh criticism from environmental activists. Alagao Morris, deputy executive director of the Environmental Defenders Network, an interest group in the Niger Delta, said the pardon appeared to be an attempt to mollify the Ogoni people in the face of the region's continued environmental devastation. "The pollution that ought to be addressed has not been addressed," Morris said. He said the issue of oil drilling should be decided by the Ogoni people, but the complete exoneration of Saro-Wiwa and other executed activists should come first. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, relies on oil for more than 90% of export earnings and around two-thirds of government earnings, exposing its economy to global price shocks.
