By Lawrence Agbo
Political activist, entrepreneur, and human rights campaigner Aisha Yesufu has condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recent decision to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, emphasising that democracy requires a strong opposition.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Yesufu made the remarks while criticising the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recent decision to delist the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Everything they’re doing is to ensure that Nigeria becomes a one-party state. We can’t have that. You can’t have a democracy that people died for and you come all of a sudden and take us back to the era of ‘who the cap fits.’ No, there’s no ‘who the cap fits’ here. What we have is a democracy, and in a democracy, there has to be opposition,” she declared.
She described the move as illegal, illegitimate, and a direct threat to Nigeria’s democratic framework.
“For me, I couldn’t believe how audacious INEC was in doing something that is so illegal, or should I say illegitimate. Because in delisting, when did INEC become a court that gives its own judgment? That shocked me. It wasn’t even in any way trying to hide things or work in a way that people don’t see how glaring it is that they’re doing something that is wrong.
The audacity to do something that is so wrong in such a brazen manner, honestly, is something that really surprised me. I didn’t know they would go down that low, but it seems that’s what they’ve done, ” she said.
Yesufu accused INEC of abandoning impartiality, alleging that the commission’s actions favoured the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and undermined the opposition’s ability to field candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
She warned that such manoeuvres could erode public trust in the electoral process and weaken the foundation of Nigerian democracy.
“INEC should act independently and uphold the law, not serve as a tool for the ruling party. Democracy thrives when opposition is allowed to compete freely, and any attempt to block that is a betrayal of our nation,” she added.
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