Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, has warned that Nigeria’s democracy could be endangered if opposition parties fail to build strong political structures capable of effectively challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.
Uzodinma made the remarks on Saturday during the APC presidential primary in which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
According to the governor, democracy can only remain healthy when there is strong political competition, urging opposition parties to strengthen their structures instead of complaining about the APC’s growing dominance.
“It is no longer a democracy if there is no opposition. I encourage opposition parties to work hard, do what the ruling party has done, and when, by the grace of God, it becomes their turn, they will elect their own president,” Uzodinma said.
He also argued that the APC’s grassroots mobilisation strategy had positioned the party strongly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“If you look at what is happening at the grassroots, how the grassroots have been stimulated, starting from the membership registration, which was done electronically, to the validation of members, you can see 35,000 human beings in just one ward in all its local governments,” he stated.
“It means that if all our party members vote for President Bola Tinubu, he has already won the election.”
Uzodinma explained that the party’s electronic membership registration process had enhanced inclusiveness and strengthened participation across all levels of the APC structure nationwide.
“The membership registration as conducted by the All Progressives Congress took care of grassroots inclusiveness, and today it is manifesting in the realities of our democratic situation in Nigeria,” he added.
He further praised President Tinubu’s leadership and expressed support for his second-term ambition.
“President Bola Tinubu has done enough to deserve going back for a second time. I want to congratulate him for taking the time to do politics the way it should be done,” Uzodinma said.
