APC Breaks Silence on Plan to Turn Nigeria into One-Party State

• The All Progressives Congress says Nigeria’s democracy remains intact, insisting that recent defections into the ruling party do not signal a move toward a one-party system.

The All Progressives Congress has dismissed claims that Nigeria is drifting toward a one-party system, despite the recent wave 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, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the party has no intention of weakening or eliminating opposition parties, describing such concerns as unfounded.

“There is no such desire, let alone intent, to turn Nigeria into a one-party state,” Morka said on Tuesday, emphasising that political plurality remains central to democratic governance.

He explained that the APC’s current dominance is a result of its victory in the last general elections, which placed the party in control of the federal government. According to him, the growing number of politicians joining the ruling party reflects individual decisions rather than any coordinated effort 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.

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In recent months, the Peoples Democratic Party and other opposition parties have recorded significant membership losses, with governors, lawmakers and other influential figures defecting to the APC. The development has sparked public debate and heightened concerns about the possible weakening of political competition in the country.

Morka, however, maintained that defections are a normal feature of democratic politics and should not be interpreted 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.”

He 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 heightened political competition often breeds suspicion.

Morka concluded by urging Nigerians to see the ongoing political realignments as part of the democratic process rather than a departure from it.