Nigeria dangerously sliding into one-party state dictatorship under APC, group warns

An advocacy group, Movement for Credible Elections (MCE), has warned that Nigeria is “gradually driving” toward a one-party state and a potential full-blown dictatorship under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.

The group expressed alarm over the current political trajectory, citing several critical factors trailing behind the APC national convention.

According to MCE, recent developments within the ruling party pose a threat to Nigeria’s democratic governance ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The reaction was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Media Coordinator, Comrade James Ezema, in Abuja.

It said: “The Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) is once again compelled to issue an urgent warning to Nigerians and the international democratic community that recent political developments within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), culminating in its national convention, represent a grave and dangerous threat to democracy in Nigeria.”

“At a time when the country should be preparing to deepen democratic governance ahead of the 2027 General Elections, what is unfolding instead, is a systematic dismantling of democratic norms—executed through the suppression of internal party democratic competitiveness, intimidation of dissenting voices while consolidating the hold of a narrow clique of power brokers within the party

“MCE asserts that APC’s state congresses and its widely reported non-elective national convention did not any way measure up to a desired exercise of democratic consensus but instruments for forced and imposed whims and caprices of the power syndicate in the party as the so-called “consensus” process of the convention effectively denied party members their fundamental right to choose their leaders freely through open and competitive electoral process. This is not democracy—it is political orchestration and intimidation.

“Across several states, reports of parallel congresses, exclusion of aspirants, and sidelining of legitimate stakeholders, point to a deliberate plot to: eliminate competition, foist compliance, and centralize power grid.

“This pattern also signals the consolidation of coercive politics within the ruling party.”

The group also raised concerns over the state of civic space in the country. 

“More alarming is the broader national implication of the fact that Nigeria today is witnessing the criminalization of dissent—where disagreement is increasingly met with political retaliation, legal intimidation, and reputational attacks.

“Democratic participation is being replaced with a culture of fear, where loyalty is rewarded and independence is punished.

“This convergence of trends—suppressed intra-party democracy, shrinking civic space, and the weakening of institutional checks—point toward a dangerous destination: a de facto one-party state, where elections exist in form but not in substance.

MCE warned that the situation could affect future elections, noting that “If left unchecked, the 2027 General Elections risk becoming a procedural ritual rather than a genuine democratic contest.”

“The consequences are already evident. Women, youth, and marginalized groups continue to be excluded from meaningful political participation.

“Reform advocates and civic actors face mounting pressure. The democratic space is narrowing, and with it, is the hopes of millions of Nigerians who seek accountable and representative governance.

“MCE warns that the promises of electoral reform—particularly those intended to strengthen transparency, participation, and credibility—are being rapidly eroded by political practices that prioritise control over competition and exclusion over inclusion,” it further noted.

MCE called for urgent action to address the situation.

It said: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) must halt and reverse the entrenchment of coercive politics and restore genuine internal democracy by allowing free, fair, and competitive participation in all party processes.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must rise to its constitutional responsibility by refusing to be a passive observer, and instead enforce compliance with democratic standards in party conduct.

“Nigerians—across political, civic, and social divides—must resist the normalization of authoritarian tendencies, and defend the principles of pluralism, participation, and accountability.”

“Nigeria’s democracy today stands at a critical crossroads as Tinubu’s APC Regime gets Worse Than Abacha Pariah Junta! The choice before us is stark: a republic governed by the will of the people or a political system captured by a powerful few.

“Silence at this moment is complicity,” the group concluded.