One-Party State Could Trigger Coups, Falana Warns Tinubu

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu, saying Nigeria cannot claim to have stopped coups in West Africa while allowing the country to drift towards a one-party state.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Falana said that true stability in regions depends on Nigeria embracing political pluralism and fixing internal problems that fuel unrest.

He said Nigeria cannot preach democracy to West Africa while allowing its own political space to shrink.

“Nigeria clearly has its job cut out. If you want to stop coups, you must allow political pluralism in Nigeria. You cannot have a situation where the country is moving towards a one-party state, and you want to export democracy. Nigeria has to put its house in order to align with political pluralism,” he said.

According to him, many Nigerians are unhappy with government decisions, warning that suppression of opposition which he says is common among African leaders, creates the conditions for instability.

“If we want to have political stability in Nigeria, you must address the crisis of the economy, address poverty, tackle illiteracy, and curb insecurity of lives and property,” he said.

He cautioned that misusing state power to weaken rival parties is dangerous and pushes countries towards authoritarianism.

He also said no democracy can thrive without a strong, competitive opposition as ruling parties across Africa often render opposition groups “impotent” through restrictions, intimidation, or outright repression.

Furthermore, he criticised the increasing clampdown on civic freedoms, warning that dissent should never be treated as a crime.

According to him, the country must stop shrinking the political space and instead protect the right of citizens to freely express their views.

“You must show that the political space will not shrink as it is now. You have a shrinking of the political space, and that must stop. There must be freedom of expression. You cannot be charging people with all manner of offences for expressing their views about the affairs of their country,” he said.

Falana also challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to open up the political arena by allowing more ideological parties to be registered as INEC’s current posture limits participation and weakens democracy.

“More importantly, INEC must open the political space and allow ideological political parties to be registered to challenge the status quo. Right now, INEC is not prepared to open the political space,” he said.

Asked whether the recent wave of coups may continue, he replied, “It won’t be the last. I’m familiar with the political terrain. Once you put opposition leaders in jail, send them into exile, or kill them, you cannot have political stability.”

His remarks come after Sunday’s failed coup attempt in Benin Republic, led by Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri. Soldiers had seized the state television station in Cotonou and announced the removal of President Patrice Talon. Nigerian troops and the ECOWAS standby force, however, moved swiftly and crushed the uprising within hours.

The Benin government confirmed that several people were killed, at least 14 suspects were arrested, and Tigri remains at large. The coup plotters had cited worsening security, disagreements over military promotions, and restrictions on political freedoms ahead of the 2026 election.

The African Union, United Nations, European Union, and ECOWAS all condemned the attempted takeover. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request for troop deployment to Benin Republic to support regional stability.