Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has warned a one-party system in the country.
Jonathan has said such a move could destabilise the nation’s fragile democracy.
He was speaking at a memorial lecture held in honour of the late elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, in Abuja on Wednesday.
The former President noted that while countries like Tanzania practise a one-party system, it was properly planned for, stressing that Nigeria’s complex ethnic, religious, and political landscape necessitates a more inclusive political framework.
“Yes, a one-party state may not be evil after all, because Julius Nyerere of Tanzania used a one-party state to stabilise his country in the early days of independence.
“He felt that the country, just like Nigeria, had too many tribes and tongues, and two principal religions—Christianity and Islam. If we allow multiple parties, some may follow religious lines, others tribal, and unity will be difficult. But it was properly planned; it was not by accident.
“If we must, as a nation, adopt a one-party system, then it must be designed, planned by experts—and we must know what we are getting into. But if we arrive at it through the back door by political manipulations, then we are heading for a crisis,” he said
