Uzodinma warns democracy suffers without strong opposition

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma has raised concerns over the state of Nigeria’s democracy, warning that the political system could weaken if opposition parties fail to build structures capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

Uzodinma spoke on Saturday during the APC presidential primary, where President Bola Tinubu emerged as the party’s candidate for a second term with little resistance.

“It is no longer democracy if there is no opposition. I encourage opposition parties to work hard, do what the ruling party has done, and when, by the grace of God, it becomes their turn, they will elect their own president,” the governor said.

The APC governor, however, argued that the ruling party’s strength at the grassroots had already positioned it strongly for the next presidential contest.

According to him, the party’s electronic membership registration and validation process expanded participation and deepened its reach across communities.

“If you look at what is happening at the grassroots, how the grassroots has been stimulated, starting from the membership registration, which was done electronically, to the validation of members, you can see 35,000 human beings in just one ward in all its local governments,” he said.

“It means that if all our party members vote for President Bola Tinubu, he has already won the election.”

Uzodinma said the APC’s registration exercise reflected deliberate grassroots inclusion, adding that the turnout witnessed during the primary was evidence of the party’s growing political machinery.

“The membership registration as conducted by the All Progressives Congress took care of grassroots inclusiveness, and today it is manifesting in the realities of our democratic situation in Nigeria,” he stated.

He also commended Tinubu’s leadership, saying the president had done enough to justify a second term bid.

“President Bola Tinubu has done enough to deserve going back for a second time. I want to congratulate him for taking the time to do politics the way it should be done,” Uzodinma added.