Political party leaders in Lagos have called for a more inclusive and accountable political system during the inaugural Political Party Chairmen’s Dialogue hosted by News Central on Thursday. The event brought together chairmen from various parties to discuss governance, elections, leadership, and the city’s democratic future.
News Central’s Joe Hanson, reporting live from the venue, described the dialogue as a rare convergence aimed at building a shared vision and deepening political engagement in Lagos.
George Ashiru, Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), opened the conversation with a call for collaboration and internal party democracy.
“Why should we have single party states, one party rule? When there are parties that can collaborate to help govern?” Ashiru queried.
“It is not that parties die after the election; we have our internal activities that we engage in—monitoring the process of governance, selling ideas and policies to the government. But presently, political activities in Nigeria is winner takes it all.”
His sentiments were echoed by Adenipebi Mode Adekunle, Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), who said the current political structure limits opposition effectiveness.
“We need a strong opposition. In Nigeria, the winner takes it all. The person in power goes stirring problems in other parties so that the party in power weakens the other parties by sowing troubles in those parties…”
Ronnie Dikko-Kila, Lagos Chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), also blamed the ruling parties for deliberately fracturing opposition alliances.
Philip Aivoji, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, focused on leadership ethics and the need for credible candidates.
“We are supposed to bring on good people for election, people that have integrity, people that respect the rule of law,” Aivoji said, emphasising the need for principled governance.
Labour Party Lagos Chairman, Dayo Ekong, highlighted the value of political parties in promoting democratic discourse.
“They are a gateway for people to come out and air their voices based on their political ideologies,” she said, underscoring the importance of platforms that support civic expression.
In response to claims of Lagos being a one-party state, Kehinde Adegbulugbe, Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), firmly disagreed.
“I refuse to say Lagos State is a one-party state. We have 18 political parties who are vying and they are opposition. We cannot stand here and say we are a one-party state,” Adegbulugbe declared.
As the event wrapped up, speakers agreed that sustained dialogue, institutional reforms, and genuine political competition are vital to Lagos’ democratic progress. The Chairmen’s Dialogue is expected to continue as a recurring platform for addressing critical issues in Nigerian politics.
