A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has said that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is afraid of the coming elections.
Secondus said what the APC wants, is the coronation of its presidential candidate, President Bola Tinubu in 2027 under a one-party arrangement.
The former party chairman was reacting to Monday’s judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Action Alliance (AA) Action Peoples Party (APP).
But Secondus, in a statement on Wednesday, accused the ruling government of deploying the judiciary to weaken opposition forces and undermine Nigeria’s democratic system.
Secondus warned that the development could pave the way for a one-party state if allowed to stand, describing the ruling as a dangerous attack on multi-party democracy.
He expressed concern that attempts were being made to remove the five parties from the political landscape midway into the electoral cycle, after completing their primary elections and preparing for campaigns.
“The judgment was not just a setback for the affected parties but a dangerous assault on the foundational principles of multi-party democracy, citizen participation and the rule of law,” Secondus said.
According to him, the timing of the ruling raises serious questions about the commitment of the government to democratic competition.
“They are afraid of the election; they want a coronation,” he alleged.
The former PDP chairman further argued that the framers of the Nigerian Constitution envisaged that INEC would review the status of political parties shortly after general elections and not in the middle of another electoral cycle.
He maintained that deregistering parties at such a stage effectively disenfranchises voters, creates political uncertainty and restricts democratic participation.
“To deregister the parties midway effectively disenfranchises voters, creates political instability, and narrows the democratic space, especially when a crisis has been deliberately injected into other parties,” he said.
Secondus also condemned what he described as judicial interference in the democratic process.
“It’s judicial rascality to endorse political exclusion by dissolving parties midway through a cycle. This obvious disruption creates unnecessary vacuums and chills the competitive spirit necessary for a healthy democracy,” he stated.
He warned that shrinking the political space by eliminating smaller parties would strengthen established political interests while denying emerging political movements an opportunity to compete.
“A robust democracy requires a low barrier to entry for alternative ideas. By dismantling smaller or emerging parties mid-cycle, the system heavily favours the entrenched political establishment and locks out grassroots movements needed for a robust democracy,” he added.
Secondus called on stakeholders in the democratic process to resist actions capable of weakening Nigeria’s multi-party system, insisting that political competition remains essential for the country’s democratic development.
APC Afraid Of Election, Wants Tinubu’s Coronation – Ex-PDP Chairman is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
