The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed concerns that Nigeria is drifting towards a one-party system, despite the growing number of defections from opposition parties into the ruling party.
Speaking on Channels Television’s year-end programme, 2025 in Retrospect: Charting a Pathway to 2026, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the party has no intention of weakening or eliminating opposition parties, describing such claims as unfounded.
“There is no such desire, let alone intent, to turn Nigeria into a one-party state,” Morka said on Tuesday, stressing that political plurality remains essential to democratic governance.
He explained that the APC’s current dominance stems from its victory in the last general elections, which placed the party in control of the federal government. According to him, the recent influx of politicians into the ruling party reflects individual choices rather than a coordinated attempt to undermine democracy.
“The APC is the ruling party, which was elected in the last general elections. What we have witnessed is individuals making decisions that are permissible in a democracy to move from their platforms to join our party,” he stated.
In recent months, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition parties have experienced significant membership losses, with governors, lawmakers and influential political figures defecting to the APC. The trend has fuelled public debate and raised concerns about the possible erosion of political competition in the country.
However, Morka maintained that defections are a normal feature of democratic politics and should not be misconstrued as a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty system.
“That is nothing unusual or untoward,” he said. “People joke around with the spectre of a one-party state; we shouldn’t.”
The APC spokesman further argued that Nigeria’s constitutional and legal framework makes the emergence of a one-party state virtually impossible, regardless of political developments.
“Even if anyone in the APC wished for a one-party state, it is virtually impossible under the prevailing constitutional and legal framework,” he added, noting that democracy often provokes suspicion when political competition intensifies.
Morka concluded by urging Nigerians to view the ongoing political realignments as part of the democratic process rather than a departure from it.
The post No plan to turn Nigeria into one-party state — APC insists appeared first on Vanguard News.
