We must resist one-party rule, says Hashim

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

In the run-up to the 2027 polls, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Gbenga Hashim, has said there is a need to resist the drift to a party-state.

Hashim, who is intensifying consultations across party lines aimed at forging a broad-based political coalition that will ensure that the country does not become a one-party state, stated this when he hosted the leadership of the Accord Party in Abuja.

The PDP chieftain told the Accord Party delegation, consisting of the National Chairman, Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem; National Secretary, Hon. Adebukola Abiola Ajaja; National Treasurer, Salaudeen Abdulazeez Oyeniyi; and Organising Secretary, Hon. Ibe ThankGod, that it was imperative for the opposition to unite.

The presidential hopeful had, at a recent appearance on television, raised concerns about a creeping move towards a one-party system allegedly driven by the ruling All Progressives Congress under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Consequently, Hashim noted that the unity of the opposition and collaboration among political actors is essential to preserve democratic pluralism and institutional balance.

According to him, opposition parties are increasingly constrained by internal divisions and external pressures that undermine their capacity to organise and function effectively.

Furthermore, Hashim, while referencing Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, which stipulates that political parties must submit their list of candidates no later than 120 days before an election, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly imposing an unconstitutional electoral timetable for the 2027 general election.

The presidential aspirant, who argued that the law implies that parties should have until around August or September to conclude their primaries, criticised INEC’s directive requiring primaries to end by May.

According to him, the electoral timetable effectively shortens the timeline by several months and places undue pressure on opposition parties already grappling with internal disputes and litigation.

Nonetheless, he acknowledged recent adjustments by INEC to deadlines for submission of party registers, but maintained that the fundamental concern regarding the compressed timetable remains unresolved.

Hashim had earlier in the year met with the 2023 presidential candidate and national chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC), as part of a sustained push towards opposition alignment.

It is expected that there will be more consultations in the coming months, as stakeholders explore pathways for broader cooperation ahead of future elections.