Human Rights Group Warns Nigeria Faces Shift Toward One-Party State

The Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education warned that Nigeria is evolving into a one-party system characterized by a "civilian dictatorship cloaked in democratic garb." The organization reports a disturbing wave of defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office in May 2023.

Executive Director Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi alleges that governors from Rivers, Delta, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom states abandoned their mandates to join the ruling party to secure patronage and protection before the 2027 elections. The group claims these political shifts are being legitimized by a judiciary compromised by corruption.

CHRICED further asserts that the National Assembly has become a "rubber stamp body" that fails to provide necessary oversight. The organization warns that this level of political dominance typically results in the silencing of dissent, hyperinflation, and economic collapse.