Victor EzejaFormer chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has highlighted the need for the emergence of selfless opposition leaders who would mobilise Nigerians to change the government of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Lukman, a former APC national vice chairman, (North-west), said President Tinubu has abandoned his campaign promises and is fast becoming “an emperor” as he continues taking “insensitive and reckless decisions”, which further worsen citizens’ conditions of living on a daily basis.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHe asserted that going by Tinubu’s style of governance so far, he may become worse than Buhari, who ruled from 2015 to 2023, hence the need for a formidable opposition to unseat him in 2027 and install a government with clear policies to entrench good governance for political stability, economic and human development in the country.
Lukman expressed concerns that the current opposition leaders are still stuck with old political ambition to the extent that they are only strategising to manipulate their emergence as candidates for election in 2027.
In his piece titled “Looming Danger of Docile Political Opposition,” Lukman said: “It has become necessary to draw the attention of opposition political leaders in the country that the current care-free or unserious disposition could produce the disastrous outcome whereby Nigerians may be unable to change the government of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.”
The Kaduna-born political activist said although all opposition leaders acknowledge that things have gone bad, “there is hardly any definitive engagement with the clear objective of mobilising Nigerians to effect a change in 2027.”
He said instead of creating a formidable opposition against President Tinubu’s government, all the leading opposition political parties are embroiled in “embarrassing internal crisis,” thereby emboldening the president to continue with his style of leadership.
He said despite the challenges in the country, opposition leaders continue to operate in isolation instead of opening lines of consultations to produce a roadmap for positive change in political leadership in 2027.
“It is almost a case that our opposition political leaders and opposition political parties are not troubled by the realities facing Nigerians.
“The nonchalance and isolationist disposition of opposition political leaders in the country is quite disturbing. It is not enough to complain that President Asiwaju Tinubu is bad without corresponding initiative to ensure that 2027 result in the defeat of APC at all levels,” he stated.
He therefore urged Nigerians to call on Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and all the dissatisfied APC leaders to wake up to the responsibility of rescuing the country from bad governance by beginning what he called “structured negotiations devoid of personal ambitions aimed at producing alternative political platform in the country.”
“Negotiation to produce the alternative political platform must necessarily include negotiation to contract new policy commitments to resolve challenges facing the country,” he added
While reflecting on how political leaders renege on their promises once elected, Lukman said no opposition political leader in Nigeria should expect citizens to blindly trust him/her but must work hard to earn the trust.
He argued that the “best signpost for a better future will be indicative by the quality of relationship among opposition political leaders.”
“So long as relationship among political leaders in the country is limited to support for personal ambition to emerge as candidates, it signposts a looming danger and prospect of producing a government worse than the current one,” he warned.
He advised that all opposition leaders must have a selfless disposition by setting aside personal ambitions and work for the progress of Nigeria.
“For opposition political leaders to prove that they are selfless they should demonstrate strong commitment to rescue Nigeria from the current state of hopelessness by opening and relating with each other unconditionally.
“Unless opposition political leaders move away from their current disposition of contracting relationship based on individual ambitions to emerge as candidates, the prospect of producing another government that will be worse than President Asiwaju Tinubu’s government will be high.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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