Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa has attributed the wave of defections to All Progressives Congress to the performance of President Bola Tinubu.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the ruling party had received many prominent politicians into its fold.
Some of the defectors include the governor of Delta State, former vice-presidential candidates of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Ifeanyi Okowa, and many federal and state legislators.
The gale of defections has sparked concerns, with many accusing the Tinubu administration of plotting to foist a one-party system on the country.
But speaking during an interview with a State House correspondent after meeting with the president, Mr Sule dismissed the allegations.
“People who are happy with what they are seeing, they are the people who are returning to the party,” he said.
“So, I think the party is doing well, and for that reason, the president is also doing well. And that is the reason why people are joining.
“It’s a reflection of the performance of our party and the performance of Mr President. We’ve seen reforms in the unification of exchange rates, the removal of fuel subsidies, and now in the power sector.
“What is even more impressive is the focus on skill acquisition and agriculture. These are real reforms that matter to the people,” Mr Sule added.
He denied allegations of a one-party state by the opposition, saying, “There is no way we can be a one-party state. No matter what happens, there are people who are going to be in another party.
“Actually, we don’t even want Nigeria to be a one-party state, we just want to be the dominant party.”
According to him, all political parties aspire to be dominant and win elections. However, this does not negate the presence or potential of other parties, he added.
Comparing the current situation with what’s obtainable in the United States, Mr Sule said several other minor parties still exist and participate in the democratic process, despite the Democratic and Republican parties dominating.
“We just want to be the party that wins 90 per cent of the votes. The other parties can have 10 per cent.
“Every party wants to give back to society, and I think that is what our party is doing”, he added.
