The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has dismissed claims that the ruling party is steering Nigeria towards a one-party system.
The party’s secretary defended the APC’s political activities and dismissed suggestions of state-backed intimidation of opposition parties.
Earlier on Wednesday, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy, Monday Onyeme, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, along with commissioners and key stakeholders in the state.
When asked whether he was concerned by growing perceptions that the APC and the current administration are turning Nigeria into a one-party state, Basiru retorted.
“How can we turn Nigeria into a one-party state?” he quizzed. “The country is not our making. The policies of the country are not our making.
“I think the problem with Nigeria is that we don’t seem to have people who are very serious in opposition, who take their job seriously. You cannot expect the ruling party to do the work of the opposition.”
Challenging the media, Basiru urged journalists to assess the inactivity of opposition parties, contrasting it with the APC’s ongoing efforts to build a robust, grassroots structure across the country.
“Tomorrow is a working day—go around the headquarters of all other political parties and see whether you find any activity going on.
“One of the cardinal policies of our party since Abdullahi Ganduje assumed leadership is to build a functionally efficient party structure in every ward, local government, and state in Nigeria. And that is what we are doing,” he stated.
