Ibrahim Gambari: Let’s Learn from History, Nigeria Can’t be One-party State

• Says attempts in history toward one party state failed 

•Canvasses ideological-based political parties

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, yesterday dismissed fears that Nigeria would turn a one-party state, stating that attempts towards that failed in the first and second republics.

He further said that political parties should be strengthened to be ideological based as in other climes as they are structured.

Gambari explained that in the first Republic that it is like an abomination for a member of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) to defect to the Northern Elements People’s Union (NEPU), because they are idealogically opposed to each other

Speaking at a round table conference with news men, Gambari said, ‘’So now, going back specifically to the first question: the political parties and the fear of a one-party state. And you know, I’m not at all worried about this country becoming a one-party state. You know what? You can quote me. It will not happen, if history is any guide.

‘’You know, we don’t even know our own history. This administration is not the first to try to have a dominant party in Nigeria. Right from the beginning, the NPC was a dominant party in the First Republic.

‘’They were not the ones who caused the crisis in the main opposition, but they didn’t discourage it. In fact, they took sides. Where has that led us? It didn’t lead us to peace or development; it led to chaos.’’

He said further, ‘’The NPN was the successor. They became so confident they felt that they would be there forever. What happened to that? In the end, it didn’t work. Third one, PDP, not long ago they were boasting that they would rule for 60 years. Where are they today? So, any effort to make this country one-party will not work.

‘’And sometimes it will not work for the wrong reasons, because the political elites are too ambitious for the ambition to be contained within one political party. It will break.

‘’But let’s not wait till it breaks with all the negative consequences to draw lessons from history. As somebody said, if you don’t learn from history, you continue to repeat history’s mistakes’’

Accordingly, Gambari said, ‘’So it will not happen. But let’s not wait for disaster to happen. Let’s build political parties. That’s what has been missing. We have not paid enough attention as a people to political parties. We are, in a sense, super elite.

‘’’We gather in this room. How many of us actually belong to any political party? How many of us here present have a party membership card? How many attend political party meetings? That is where the problem is.

‘’If we are not even showing an example – whereas in the First Republic, they had party cards, they paid dues, they consulted on who the candidates for election contests would be – there was a bond between the leader and the party at various levels.

‘’So, we must pay attention to how political parties are organized in this country, because if we have strong political parties, nobody will even try to make a one-party state.

‘’It will not be possible. But because we have no organized political parties, our political parties have become just vehicles to gain political power.

‘’That’s all. Because our constitution doesn’t allow for independent candidates, you have to belong, so it’s a party of convenience,’’ Gambari stated.

He described Political parties as flags of convenience, saying, ‘’You know when you look at ships, you can have an American ship flying a Panama flag. So political parties are just carrying flags of convenience to gain power, not organized based on ideology or perspectives that make one distinct from the other. ‘’

According to him, ‘’In the First Republic, if you crossed from NPC to NCNC or Action Group, it was a big deal. There were clear differences. But today, because there is no real distinction, you can move – as I jokingly say – you can be APC in the morning, PDP in the afternoon, and APC again the next day, no questions asked, because there are no consequences.

‘’In some other systems, if you move after being elected under one platform, your seat is declared vacant and you have to contest again, because otherwise you are living under false pretenses. We elected you under one pretense, and now you have decided to junk it.

‘’So, I appeal once again to you, and I also appeal to myself: let us pay attention to political parties. Because what we have is what we get, and we cannot complain.

‘’How long are we going to keep complaining about the people who rule us when the parties represent nobody in particular and no ideology in particular? So, when they get there, what is the organizing principle of governance, and what are the consequences of deviation?

‘’That’s why citizen participation is critical. History is not on the side of a one-party state in Nigeria or anywhere else. But it will not happen by itself. Multiparty democracy requires commitment and organization, and we all have roles to play.

‘’I realized that I hadn’t been paying enough attention to political parties, and yet I was complaining about the people ruling us. What role have I played in improving the process of selection? Change will not happen if we keep doing the same thing the same way and expect different results’’, Prof Gambari stressed.