Former presidential candidate Gbenga Hashim has stated that he is undeterred by what he described as legal and political maneuvers aimed at weakening the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that Nigeria’s multiparty democracy is firmly entrenched and cannot be destroyed.
In a strong statement, Hashim said alleged subterfuges sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would fail, emphasizing that no individual or political party can monopolize power in Nigeria.
“Nigeria has historically embraced pluralism as a deliberate tool for managing its diversity,” he said, noting that the country’s founding fathers deliberately adopted a multiparty system at independence.
Founding Fathers Rejected One-Party Rule
Hashim highlighted that even during the First Republic, political power was never concentrated in the hands of one person or one party. He pointed to Northern Nigeria, where Sir Ahmadu Bello’s Northern People’s Congress coexisted with Aminu Kano’s Northern Elements Progressive Union, J.S. Tarka’s Middle Belt Congress, and Sir Kashim Ibrahim’s Borno People’s Union.
Similarly, in the South West, the Action Group competed alongside the National Council of Nigerian Citizens and regional platforms such as the Ibadan People’s Party.
“Our democracy has never been a one-star system,” Hashim said. “In our sky are thousands of stars.”
Abacha’s Failed Plot Serves as a Warning
Drawing on history, Hashim likened the current political environment to the failed self-succession plot of late military ruler Gen. Sani Abacha, who sought to impose himself as the sole presidential candidate across all five registered parties.
“We are living witnesses to the failure of that plot,” he said, warning that although the present situation may carry a “more sinister twist,” the outcome will be the same.
Expressing confidence that such efforts would collapse, Hashim added, “Just as the Abacha plot ended unrealized, this infantile machination will also fail, by the grace of God.”
A Personal Testament to Resistance
Hashim recalled his involvement in the struggle against military rule, emphasizing that resistance was led from within Nigeria, not by exiled democrats abroad. He revealed that he was part of the internal delegation present at Fort IBB on June 8, 1998, during a critical period when heavy military movements threatened the nation’s democratic future.
Concluding, Hashim expressed firm belief that history would repeat itself in Nigeria’s favor.
“The same God who granted us the grace to witness the collapse of the Abacha plot will also see the end of the APC-or-no-other-party agenda,” he said.
