Princewill Odidi|19 September 2017
Kwame Nkrumah, great African Nationalist may have been right when he advocated for one party state as the solution to Africa and her unique brand of democracy.
It is worth noting, how Nigerians in recent days view the crises in Aba and the Biafran agitations purely on party lines. Multi partisanship has made us to loose our sense of national identity.
Why am I advocating the emergence of one party state as a solution to our differences in Nigeria today?
There are several countries ruled by one party today they include China, Cuba, Vietnam, Eriteria, North Korea, all these countries are stable politically. Ethnic consciousness is reduced almost to nothing, You cannot build a stable economy amidst political turmoil and high ethnic consciousness which is gradually forming ethnic hatred and intolerance amongst our people. That Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder is not an understatement.
For those who may not know, A One-party state is a form of government where the country is ruled by a single political party, meaning only one political party exists and the forming of other political parties is forbidden. This will likely work in Nigeria. A one party state tolerates opposition, but it is opposition within the party.
According to Nkrumah, the multi-party system is divisive, in 1958, Nkrumah further said 'We, in Africa, will evolve forms of government, rather different from the traditional Western pattern, but no less democratic in their protection of the individual and his inalienable rights'.
According Ardey Otoo, a Ghanaian author, quoting Nkrumah he writes" Africa Must Unite, Nkrumah wrote: 'If the will of the people is democratically expressed in an overwhelming majority for the governing party, and thereby creates a weakening of the accepted two party system, the government is obliged to respect the will of the people so expressed. We have no right to divide our mandate in defiance of the popular will of the people.'
Furthermore in a speech in February 1966, 23 days before he was overthrown, Nkrumah warned with great alarm, 'A one-party system of government is an effective and safe instrument only when it operates in a socialist society.'
Remember the political bureau of 1986 in Nigeria recommended the socialist state as the way forward for Nigeria. If we had adopted it then, all this talk of resource allocation would be forgone history, all this talk of cessation would not cross our mind. China with a population half the world is intact as one country.
The People's Republic of China used a one-party socialist-system to build their country from a peasant economy, to a great regional super power. It is now challenging the world's only super power in all aspects of science, technology, and business —this came about in less than 60 years.
If 30 years ago we adopted the reports of Nigeria's wise men, the story would be different today.
Vietnam also used a one-party socialist system to militarily defeat both French colonialism and USA neo-colonialism in the 20th century.
Cuba used a one-party socialist system to build their nation despite the embargo imposed by USA and her allies.
In Africa, Kwame Nkrumah used a one-party socialist system to lead the people of Ghana in nation building.
Gradually it is becoming clear that multi partisan democracy is destroying our country.
Gradually we are seeing everything with party lenses, our country is disintegrating, our national unity is threatened, it's time we do a rethink going forward.
Princewill Odidi is a Social Commentator writing from Atlanta.
