Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate, has pledged to resist any move toward a one-party political system in Nigeria, following a strategic meeting with Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana. The declaration came after consultations aimed at preserving Nigeria's multi-party democracy, with Olawepo-Hashim stating, "We resolved to sustain the multi-party structure of Nigeria's democracy and resist one-party rule." The statement was issued by his media office and shared with The PUNCH on Wednesday. He described Falana as a decades-long ally, tracing their collaboration back to activism during the anti-apartheid struggle, including a protest on January 7, 1988, against Margaret Thatcher's visit, where he led students onto the airport tarmac and five activists were arrested. Olawepo-Hashim recalled that only two of those arrested are still alive, while others, including Olaitan Oyerinde, Chris Ayaeze, and Rotimi Ewebiyi, have died. He referenced past legal battles against military rule, including a 1988 suit challenging the Structural Adjustment Programme under Ibrahim Babangida's regime, in which Falana served as his pro bono lawyer. He also mentioned his 1989 detention in a constitutional case against the Attorney General of the Federation, defended by a legal team led by Alao Aka-Bashorun. Olawepo-Hashim disclosed Falana's role in his appointment as National Administrative Secretary of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, where he served under Beko Ransome-Kuti. He affirmed that the alliance remains committed to defending democratic values, civil liberties, and political plurality. Nigeria has maintained a multi-party system since 1999, but recent political defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress and the weakening of opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party have raised concerns about a de facto one-party state before the 2027 elections.
Olawepo-Hashim and Falana speak of resisting one-party rule, yet their alliance is built on nostalgia rather than a visible, active movement today. Their past activism and legal battles are documented, but no current organisational strength or mass engagement is cited to counter today's political shifts. Nigerians named in their history—Oyerinde, Ayaeze, Ewebiyi—are dead, and the living have not shown a strategy that matches the scale of the threat they describe. Without new structures or broader coalitions, their vow risks being a memorial to past courage, not a roadmap for future resistance.
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