APC Chieftain Breaks Silence on Alleged Tinubu One-Party Agenda

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has firmly dismissed growing claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is attempting to steer Nigeria toward a one-party system.

Speaking in Abuja on Sunday, Okechukwu said such fears are misplaced and do not reflect the actions of the current administration.

According to him, the real source of the tension is not the APC but the African Democratic Congress (ADC), whose recent political decisions, he argued, risk destabilising the country’s delicate democratic balance.

Okechukwu, who previously served as Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), said the longstanding rotation and zoning arrangement between the North and South remains one of Nigeria’s most important stabilising tools.

He stressed that the ADC’s decision to overlook this political convention ahead of the 2027 presidential election is “inadvertently creating conditions” that could heighten mistrust and stir avoidable division across regions.

He warned that ignoring the zoning system could provoke intense rivalry during the next general election.

According to him, such a situation may escalate political temperature and trigger unnecessary ethno-religious tension, particularly if both major candidates emerge from opposing regional blocs.

Okechukwu noted that even unintended political actions can snowball into nationwide crises if not handled with caution.

The APC chieftain also highlighted the concerns raised by Labour Party’s Peter Obi on the importance of respecting unwritten political agreements.

Mr Osita said the ADC should reflect on those concerns and reconsider its strategy for the 2027 race, especially if the party truly seeks to promote national unity.

He emphasised that the stability of Nigeria’s multiparty system depends on the collective discipline of all political actors — not just the ruling party.

Okechukwu questioned why the burden of safeguarding democratic norms is often placed solely on the APC when, according to him, it is the opposition that is now drifting away from the principles that once guided Nigeria’s political structure.

He claimed that with the PDP losing its former influence, the ADC has effectively stepped into the role of leading opposition; therefore, it must also respect the zoning principle that has held since 1999.

The APC Chieftain further recalled how the PDP’s violation of the rotation arrangement during the 2023 presidential contest created internal turmoil and contributed to its electoral setbacks.

He insisted that zoning has remained a reliable pillar of Nigeria’s democratic architecture, designed to ensure fairness, inclusion, and a sense of belonging for all geopolitical zones.