Oseloka H. Obaze, the immediate-past Secretary to the Government of Anambra State and the 2017 Governorship Candidate of the PDP, has warned that Nigeria faces the danger of creeping toward a one-party state.
Obaze made this remarks in Enugu on Saturday when he presented a keynote speech at the maiden edition of the “Frontier Discourse” – an annual public lecture series and awards of the The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine.
Speaking on the topic “Mental Power at the Mercy of Political Will: Nigerian Politics and its Conscious Play to Ignorance” the former United Nations diplomat said those in power and those seeking public offices in Nigeria ought to be asking some heady questions.
According to him, Nigeria faces the “danger of creeping toward a one-party state.” He argued that “Nigeria is too diverse – religiously, geographically and linguistically to be run on a one party basis,” warning that those who fancy the idea of a one-party state now will soon regret it.
Obaze, who was also honoured with the “Frontier Person” award during the event, added that the failure to restructure Nigeria is not the only area in which the political elite have succeeded in hoodwinking the nation.
He maintained that “Nigeria continues to fail in its collective effort to tackle several notable national questions germane to her nation building and overall advancement.”
According to him, “power in Nigeria is now possessive, and is underpinned by the winner-take-all mindset. Those who wield power tend to use it to cancel the aspirations, needs and rights of others.”
Obaze warned that Nigeria’s “democracy is in danger due to the cancel culture and ‘us versus them’ attitude in politics, which dictates that you must lose so that they can win or retain power” to the effect that “free and fair elections are rigged, cancelled or annulled.”
“Nothing can justify the divisive public comments of some public officials aimed at cancel culture. The vexatious scope & chilling effect of the acrimony elicited by the restructuring debate & nationalist agitations notwithstanding, certain vituperations are simply unacceptable.”
The event was chaired by Former Minister for Information, Frank Nweke II. Former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu; former Governor of Enugu State, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo; Special Adviser on Information to the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Igwe Amb. Lawrence Agubuzu & HRH, Eze Barr. Igwesi O. Igwesi and His Grace, Most Revd. Dr. E. O. Chukwuma were among the many dignitaries that graced the occasion.
