Nasarawa State governor Abdullahi Sule has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not aiming to turn Nigeria into a one-party state despite the recent wave of opposition defections.
Sule said this, speaking to State House correspondents on Tuesday after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. At the same time, the ruling party desires dominance but respects Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.
“We don’t even want Nigeria to be a one-party state,” the governor said. “We just want to be the dominant party. If we can win 90 per cent of the votes, that’s okay. The other parties can have 10 per cent. It’s not about sarcasm, I’m being serious with you.”
The governor, who described President Tinubu as both party and national leader, dismissed fears that the ongoing defections to the APC would stifle opposition politics.
“No matter how successful we are, there are people who are going to be at another party,” he said.
“Even in America, you have Republicans, Democrats, the Green Party and others. Nigeria can’t be different.”
On the spate of defections to the APC, Sule attributed the trend to the reforms initiated by the Tinubu administration, including subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and power sector reforms.
“Every reform comes with its ups and downs, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages,” he noted. “People are returning to the party because they are happy with what they see.”
He also highlighted Nasarawa’s development strides, noting that the state now boasts the highest number of mini-grids in the country, driven by growth in agriculture and mining.
Sule disclosed that the state was preparing to commission a new lithium processing plant, three times larger than the first one launched last year.
He said more lithium and tantalite facilities would be operational by year-end.
“We are beginning to see more and more development of lithium and other minerals. Investors are coming because Nasarawa is peaceful and business-friendly,” he said.
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