ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – In a bold and unapologetic defence of Nigeria’s shifting political landscape, the federal lawmaker representing Cross River Central, Senator Eteng Jonah Williams, has brushed aside growing fears that President Bola Tinubu is steering the country toward a one-party system amid a wave of defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking with journalists shortly after President Tinubu addressed a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of the 2025 Democracy Day, Senator Williams questioned the public concern over the political realignment taking place across the country.
“I don’t know why people would bother about that,” he said when asked about Nigeria’s possible slide into a one-party state. “If your party is not good, you change. If your party is not doing well and you feel that you won’t be fulfilled in that party, you change.”
The former Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly maintained that defections are a matter of individual choice, not coercion, and argued that the APC is not forcing anyone to join its ranks.
“That does not mean somebody is pushing you. It is a self-decision. The Constitution is clear on freedom of association,” Williams emphasized.
When pressed further about the perception that the ruling APC is monopolizing Nigeria’s political space, the Senator delivered a blunt response that’s likely to stir further debate.
“Even if all Nigerians are saying it’s only APC, so be it.”
His comments came just hours after President Tinubu, in his Democracy Day speech to the National Assembly, dismissed allegations that his administration is attempting to impose a one-party rule on the country.
“I have no intention of turning Nigeria into a one-party state,” the President said, responding to critics alarmed by the exodus from opposition parties.
Senator Williams’ statements appear to reflect the confidence within APC ranks, even as critics warn of the dangers of weakening democratic plurality.
Precise Post recalls that the continuing wave of defections has sparked concerns among civil society groups and opposition leaders, who argue that a robust multi-party democracy is essential to keeping the government accountable.
Furthermore, in his Democracy Day address to the joint session of the Senate and House of Reprrsentatives at the National Assembly Complex on Thursday (today) President Tinubu reiterated that his administration is not by any means contemplating foisting one-party state on the country adding also that it will be political malpractice not to welcome defectors who voluntarily choose to move from one party to another.
