No Party Can Monopolise Power in Nigeria, Says Olawepo-Hashim as APC Dominates

ohn Shiklam in Kaduna

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Hashim, has said he was not intimidated by alleged legal and political manoeuvres aimed at weakening opposition parties, saying no party can monopolise power in Nigeria.

In a statement, yesterday, he insisted that Nigeria’s multiparty democracy remains firmly rooted, adding that he was “not intimidated by the legal and political subterfuges sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).”

He said Nigeria’s political history showed that no individual or party had ever succeeded in monopolising power, noting that pluralism had been central to the country’s democratic evolution since independence.

“Nigeria has always been committed to multiparty democracy. Even in the First Republic, political power was never concentrated in the hands of one man or one party,” he said

He recalled that in the first Republic, despite the dominance of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) under the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, other political movements such as Aminu NEPU (Northern Elements Progressives Union), Middle Belt Congress (MBC) and Borno Peoples Union wielded considerable influence.

Olawepo-Hashim said a similar pattern existed in the South West, where the Action Group competed with the NCNC, alongside regional platforms such as the Ibadan Peoples Party.

“Our democracy has never been a democracy of one star flying in its firmament. In our sky are thousands of stars,” he said.

Drawing parallels with history, Hashim likened the current political climate to the failed self-succession agenda of the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha.

“We are living witnesses to the failure of that plot,” he noted, warning that although today’s situation carried “a more sinister twist,” the outcome would be no different.

His words: “While Abacha sought to make himself the sole candidate of all parties, the current agenda is to ensure that no major party is strong enough to field a credible candidate.

“Just as the Abacha plot ended unrealised, this infantile machination will end in disaster for its authors, by the grace of God,” he said.

He also recalled his involvement in the struggle against military rule, stressing that the resistance was organised from within Nigeria.