Rita Odafe
The former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, has labeled President Bola Tinubu’s remarks regarding a one-party system as strange and bewildering.
Ologbondiyan shared his thoughts during a conversation on Channels TV’s Morning Brief on Friday.
It’s worth noting that Tinubu had addressed the National Assembly on Thursday, refuting allegations that his administration aims to create a one-party system in Nigeria.
Nonetheless, he expressed satisfaction with the current disarray among opposition parties, suggesting that it wouldn’t benefit them.
Tinubu stated: “To those who sound the alarm that the APC intends to establish a one-party state, I make a personal assurance. While your panic may lead to such concerns, they are misguided.”
In response, Ologbondiyan expressed his surprise, stating that he did not anticipate the president publicly denying any involvement in efforts to establish a one-party system in Nigeria.
“We were not expecting the president to openly claim ignorance about the effort to implement a one-party system,” Ologbondiyan remarked.
“He did not need to announce that he is behind the push for a one-party system, certainly not.”
“I have not heard him discuss necessary reforms in the electoral process, and even in his comments, the president mentioned that he had not observed any restrictions from INEC on party registrations, yet those seeking to register have reported ongoing challenges in obtaining approval.
“There has been a situation involving a group that fully completed their registration process and were instructed to collect their certificate, but they have yet to receive it.
“It also surprises me that the president claims he will never be part of a one-party scheme while the framework and even some members of his cabinet have publicly questioned where they would find a party to contest with. The president shouldn’t have to personally declare against registering any party.”
