Renowned constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate, Professor Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has sounded a stark warning over Nigeria’s political trajectory, cautioning that the nation is “gradually driving, unknowingly, towards a one-party state”—a path he believes could culminate in full-scale dictatorship if left unchecked.
Appearing on Channels Television’s "Hard Copy" on Saturday, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria decried what he termed a "dangerous erosion of political ideology", lamenting the increasing frequency of political decampments and cross-carpeting among elected officials.
“It’s like beans, akara, and moi-moi; they’re the same,” Ozekhome quipped, criticizing the lack of ideological commitment among Nigeria’s political elite.
He argued that many politicians have abandoned principle for personal gain, reducing party platforms to mere vehicles of convenience. According to him, this fluidity is deepening the nation’s democratic fragility and paving the way for authoritarian consolidation.
“In a one-party state, dictatorship reigns supreme. The National Assembly will be pocketed, the judiciary will be pocketed, and everybody will just be saying ‘yes, yes, yes,’” he said.
Ozekhome likened the current political climate to that of Nigeria under the PDP’s 16-year rule, during which the party infamously predicted it would govern for 60 years—a claim later upended by internal crises and electoral defeat.
Drawing a parallel with the present, he noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appears to have strategically embedded loyalists across key institutions, a tactic that, if left uncontested, could render the opposition politically impotent.
“If care is not taken, Tinubu might run against himself in 2027. The opposition is fractured and increasingly irrelevant,” Ozekhome observed.
The legal luminary also expressed grave concern over what he called “Stockholm Syndrome” among Nigerians, suggesting that citizens, worn down by poverty and hardship, are becoming increasingly docile in the face of government excesses.
“We are fast descending into a state of helplessness and hopelessness. People are so crushed that instead of fighting back, they retreat and submit to their oppressors,” he said.
Calling for a renewed spirit of civic engagement, Ozekhome urged Nigerians to shake off political apathy and demand accountability from their leaders.
“The power belongs to the people. It’s not theirs—it’s yours. You must reclaim it,” he concluded.
© GLiDE NEWS
Reporter: Agboola Aluko | Abuja, Nigeria
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