Professor Ibrahim Gambari says fears of Nigeria becoming a one-party state are unfounded, citing history and enduring multiparty democracy
Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, former Chief of Staff to late President Muhammadu Buhari and founder of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, has ruled out the possibility of Nigeria sliding into a one-party state, insisting that history and political realities favour a multiparty system.
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Professor Gambari spoke during a media interactive session in Abuja to mark activities of the centre, which has spent the past 11 years focusing on policy research, dialogue, advocacy, and training in diplomacy, democracy, and development.
Addressing concerns raised by opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs said fears of a one-party state were exaggerated and unsupported by Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“I’m not at all worried about this country becoming a one-party state,” Gambari said.
“You can quote me. It will not happen if history is any guide.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s political evolution, the former United Nations Under-Secretary General noted that previous attempts by dominant parties to entrench power had failed.
He cited the Northern Peoples Congress in the First Republic, the National Party of Nigeria in the Second Republic, and the Peoples Democratic Party during the Fourth Republic as examples.
According to Gambari, none of the dominant parties succeeded in establishing lasting political supremacy, warning that similar ambitions today would meet the same fate.
He argued that Nigeria’s political elite are too ambitious and diverse to be contained within a single political platform, describing such ambitions as inherently incompatible with a one-party structure.
Despite his confidence in Nigeria’s multiparty future, Gambari criticised the political class for failing to learn from past mistakes, warning that weak party organisation continues to undermine democratic development.
He said political parties in Nigeria have largely become vehicles for gaining power rather than institutions grounded in ideology, accountability, or clear policy distinctions.
“Political parties are now flags of convenience,” Gambari said, noting that politicians frequently switch allegiances without consequence, eroding public trust and weakening democratic norms.
The veteran diplomat called for stronger party structures, clearer ideological identities, and reforms that would discourage opportunistic defections, stressing that effective multiparty democracy requires deliberate effort and citizen engagement.
“History is not on the side of a one-party state in Nigeria,” Gambari said.
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“But multiparty democracy will not sustain itself without commitment, organisation, and responsibility from all actors.”
