By Anifowoshe Oladipupo
Renowned constitutional lawyer, Professor Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has warned that Nigeria is gradually drifting toward authoritarian rule, cautioning that the country may effectively become a one-party state if current political trends are left unchecked.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme on Saturday, Ozekhome expressed deep concern over what he described as the shrinking space for political plurality and ideological clarity in Nigeria’s democracy.
“In a one-party state, dictatorship reigns supreme. Everybody will agree. National Assembly pocketed, judiciary will be pocketed, and everybody will be saying ‘yes, yes, yes,’” he said, painting a grim picture of the possible consequences of unchecked executive dominance.
The senior advocate decried the increasing rate of defections and party-switching among politicians, describing it as evidence of a lack of ideological commitment and a threat to a robust democratic process.
He pointed to the growing concentration of power in the hands of President Bola Tinubu, who he accused of positioning loyalists across major institutions, a move he believes could neutralise opposition voices and weaken checks and balances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ozekhome also raised alarm over the indifference of ordinary Nigerians to these developments, likening the populace’s passivity to a form of “Stockholm Syndrome” where victims begin to sympathise with their oppressors.
He urged citizens to reclaim their constitutional authority, reminding them that ultimate power lies with the people. “The power is yours; it is not theirs,” he declared.
