DEMOCRACY IS NOT BUILT ON ONE OPPOSITION PARTY- Lauretta Onochie

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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 welfare, regional interests, environmental protection, conservative values, or progressive reforms. 

These ideological differences make it unrealistic to expect every opposition party to dissolve itself into one giant political organisation. Consequently, it's not the practice anywhere in the world. 

More importantly, elections are not won by political parties alone. They are won by citizens.

In every democracy, the overwhelming majority of voters are ordinary citizens who are not card-carrying members of any political party.

They evaluate candidates, assess governments, compare manifestos, and ultimately decide who should govern through the ballot box.

The history of established democracies illustrates this point clearly.

In the United States, although the Democratic and Republican parties dominate national politics, there are numerous other parties, including the Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, Working Families Party, and several state-based political parties. Yet American presidents are elected because millions of citizens cast their votes—not because one opposition party exists.

The United Kingdom has even greater political diversity. Besides the governing party, there are the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, Green Party of England and Wales, Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sinn Féin, Alliance Party, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and several others. Despite this multiplicity of parties, British elections produce governments because voters make their choices at the polls.

The same is true in Canada, where the Liberal Party, Conservative Party, New Democratic Party (NDP), Bloc Québécois, Green Party, People's Party of Canada, and other parties compete for public support. Canadians regularly demonstrate that citizens—not the number of opposition parties—determine who forms government.

There are many more examples across the world and these examples reinforce a simple democratic truth: Voters Are Sovereign. Not political parties. 

Political parties compete to persuade the electorate. Citizens compare ideas, leadership qualities, competence, integrity, and policy alternatives before deciding who deserves their mandate. A ruling party can lose despite facing multiple opposition parties if enough citizens decide that change is necessary. 

Conversely, a united opposition can still lose if it fails to convince the electorate that it offers a better alternative.

Nigeria's democracy should therefore not be reduced to a simplistic arithmetic of "one opposition party versus one ruling party." Such thinking overlooks the essence of democracy, which is freedom of association, freedom of choice, and the right of citizens to support whichever party best represents their aspirations.

Rather than insisting that all opposition parties must merge into one, Nigerians should focus on more fundamental democratic principles: credible elections, an independent electoral umpire, respect for the rule of law, security for voters, transparent vote counting, issue-based campaigns, and the freedom of every political party to present its candidates.

Ultimately, democracy belongs to the people, the citizens; not to political parties.

Laurestar@aol.co.uk In 2027, as in every democratic election, it will not be the number of "united" opposition parties that determines Nigeria's next president. It will be the freely expressed will of the Nigerian people.

Again, 2027 belongs to the citizens of our great nation. 

They will reject Bola Tinubu who represents incompetence.

They will vote and elect Atiku Abubakar who represents competence.

God bless Nigeria 

Lauretta Onochie.

@Laurestar

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