LAURETTA ONOCHIE

In recent months, some politically naive Nigerians have argued that the existence of more than one opposition party in the 2027 presidential election will automatically guarantee victory for the incumbent incompetent and docile president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. While this argument may appear persuasive on the surface, it does not accurately reflect how democracy works in practice, nor anywhere in the world. A healthy democracy is not designed around one ruling party and one opposition party. Rather, it is built on political pluralism—the freedom of citizens to establish, join, and support political parties that reflect different philosophies, ideologies, and visions for governance. Political parties are not merely electoral vehicles. They are institutions founded on principles, values, and policy preferences, except the All Progressives Congress, which has now lost its foundational values and principles. Some political associations place greater emphasis on free markets, others on social w...