2027: Nigeria Sliding Towards One-Man Rule, APC Will Be First Casualty — SDP’s Adewole

A former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has raised concerns that Nigeria may be drifting towards what he described as “one-man rule,” warning that the All Progressives Congress (APC) could be its first victim.

Adebayo made the remarks on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he addressed growing fears over the country’s democratic direction ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, contrary to concerns that Nigeria may become a one-party state, the greater danger is the concentration of power in the hands of a single individual.

“People worry about a one-party state and that Nigeria is becoming a one-party state. In my own observation and following the evidence, Nigeria is not going towards a one-party state. What Nigeria is at risk of is a one-man rule,” he said.

He further alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not necessarily working to entrench APC dominance as a party, but rather consolidating influence around personal leadership.

“If anybody in APC thinks that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is trying to help APC to become the dominant party and make Nigeria a one-party state, that’s not the agenda. The agenda is to have a one-man rule,” he stated.

Adebayo warned that such a political structure could weaken internal democracy within the ruling party, arguing that the APC risks losing institutional strength if decisions continue to be centralised.

“They are getting used to having no internal democracy. They are getting used to being dictated to by their leader, who is the president now,” he said, adding that strong political parties should maintain control over governance processes rather than individuals.

He also noted that opposition parties in the country are facing internal crises and should focus on unity and discipline ahead of the elections.

“Try as much as possible to minimise errors and internal wrangling and to be united about running their party,” he advised.

His comments come amid a wave of defections by politicians—including governors and lawmakers—into the APC, which has further strengthened the ruling party’s dominance in the National Assembly and among state governors.

Observers have expressed concern that the growing political consolidation could weaken opposition voices and reduce democratic competition ahead of the 2027 polls.