![Ex-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. [Facebook]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.ng/26092024/0dcde69e-120e-4b2d-b7ae-78c7ac39d7f6?operations=autocrop(1042:580))
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Former President Goodluck Jonathan has alerted Nigerians to the potential inherent dangers of a one-party state, warning that any nation that adopts such a system must do so carefully with a well-planned process and projected outcome.
He gave the warning during his speech at the memorial lecture and day of tribute for the late elder statesman, Pa Edwin Clark, in Abuja, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
The former President stressed that any attempt to install a one-party system through political manoeuvrings to soothe only personal aspirations will have a detrimental effect on Nigeria.
His warning comes amid rising concerns over President Bola Tinubu's alleged plot to install one-party rule in Nigeria through systemic weakening and subversion of the opposition.
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This followed the ongoing wave of defection from the main opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Many Nigerians have accused the President of subtly coercing elected members of the opposition, including governors and lawmakers, to join his party by unleashing the anti-graft agencies to whip them into line.
Jonathan, Obi, and others want Clark immortalised
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Meanwhile, Jonathan called on Clark's family to immortalise the late former federal commissioner through, among other things, setting up a yearly memorial lecture in his honour.
He said this would continue to promote the ideas and what the deceased stood for, which is a united, equitable, and prosperous Nigeria.
For his part, Peter Obi, a former Labour Party presidential candidate, lamented that the labour of the country's heroes past was already in vain.
Obi highlighted the endemic poverty in rural areas, the security situation, and the rising cost of living to back his submission.
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The former Anambra State Governor argued that the labour of the likes of Clark had not paid off, as the sacrifices they made were in vain today.
The chairman on the occasion and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, said everyone has the responsibility to ensure that Nigeria remains united and indivisible, adding that the nation could only make progress if national interest were put before any personal interest.