Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a defunct political party while arguing that British colonial authorities brought Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups together primarily to serve their economic interests.
Ganduje made the remarks on Wednesday at the annual conference of the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria in Abuja.
The former Kano State governor made the comment while acknowledging former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who was the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.
Referring to Okowa, Ganduje said: “My big brother, the former governor of Delta State and a former vice presidential candidate of the defunct party, PDP.”
He subsequently spoke about Nigeria’s nation-building challenges, expressing concern that the country’s ethnic and cultural diversity was increasingly being treated as a source of division rather than an advantage.
“On the issue of nation building, we have to believe in our nation. Do we actually believe in our nation, Nigeria? Do we actually believe that our diversity is an asset and not a liability? The way we are moving, our diversity is becoming a liability,” he said.
Ganduje argued that British colonial authorities amalgamated the different groups that make up Nigeria to secure raw materials for industrial development in Britain, rather than to create a united nation.
According to him, the colonial authorities encountered existing systems of governance and diverse cultures but brought the groups together to advance their own economic objectives.
He said the colonial administration’s primary interest was to obtain resources for its industries, not necessarily to foster unity among the people.
The former APC chairman, however, praised Nigeria’s First Republic politicians for developing a sense of nationalism that helped the country secure independence from Britain.
He said the early political leaders established political parties and mobilised support for independence without resorting to armed struggle.
“We need to thank our First Republic politicians who developed a sense of nationalism to get independence, form political parties, and they succeeded in getting our independence,” Ganduje said.
He added that Nigeria was fortunate to have achieved independence without taking up arms, unlike some other countries.
Ganduje also criticised the lack of continuity in governance, noting that incoming governors frequently abandon projects and programmes initiated by their predecessors.
He said the practice sometimes occurred even when outgoing and incoming governors belonged to the same political party, resulting in the reversal of policies and the waste of resources.
According to him, political leaders should prioritise the continuity of beneficial programmes to promote sustainable development rather than discard initiatives simply because they were introduced by previous administrations.
Ganduje urged Nigerians and political leaders to strengthen national unity and recognise the country’s diversity as an asset that could contribute to development.
He maintained that building a cohesive nation required a shared sense of purpose and stronger institutions capable of sustaining democratic governance beyond changes in political leadership.
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