Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that while a one party state is not always evil as many fear, coercing the country into it would spell doom for our democracy.
Jonathan spoke in a tribute at a memorial lecture held in honour of late elder statesman and nationalist, Chief Edwin Clark, on Wednesday in Abuja.
He warned against any attempt to transform Nigeria into a one-party state through political manipulation, adding that it would be dangerous and destabilising for the country’s fragile democracy.
While acknowledging that some countries have successfully practised one-party systems under unique historical and social conditions, the former president cautioned that Nigeria’s complex ethnic, religious, and political landscape demands a more inclusive and carefully designed political framework.
He said: “Yes, one-party states – countries have managed them. 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.
And he thought that If they allowed multiple parties, some may develop along religious lines, others tribal, and unity will be difficult.
“But it was properly planned, it was not by accident. So 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 going in for. But if we arrive at it through the back door by political manipulations, then we are heading for crisis.”
Jonathan advised that the current multiparty democracy, despite its imperfections, remains better suited to Nigeria’s diverse population, adding: “Probably, in a country like Nigeria, it’s better we allow the system to stay as it is.
“But if for some reason we must adopt a one-party system, then it should not be accidental. It should not come through political manipulation.”
Jonathan also urged Clark’s family to institute an annual memorial lecture in his honour, saying it would sustain his vision for a united, equitable, and prosperous Nigeria.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, lamented that the sacrifices made by Nigeria’s founding fathers and nationalists like Clark were being squandered.
Obi said: “The labour of our heroes’ past is already in vain. The state of insecurity, poverty in rural communities, and the rising cost of living have all betrayed their sacrifices.”
Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, who chaired the occasion, reiterated the importance of unity in the country.
Gowon said: “Nigeria can only make progress when national interest is placed above personal ambition.”
Troops foil ISWAP attack on military base in Borno, neutralize five terrorists
Nigerian troops from the 26 Task Force Brigade, under Operation Hadin Kai, have successfully repelled a coordinated attack by ISWAP terrorists on their Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Izge, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert focused on the Lake Chad region, disclosed this in a post on his X handle yesterday.
Makama revealed that during a follow-up clearance operation conducted in conjunction with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), troops discovered five corpses of neutralized insurgents, bringing the total terrorist casualties to five.
According to the security expert, the troops also recovered one motorcycle, ten bicycles, a PKT machine gun, and an additional ammunition belt along the terrorists’ withdrawal route.
“The attempted infiltration occurred on May 7, 2025, at about 0035hrs, but was swiftly foiled due to the vigilance and superior firepower of troops from E Company, 114 Battalion (Main),” he added.