It is now all about the 2027 general election. As usual, desperate politicians would do everything possible to be re-elected by throwing everything into the ring, including resources and influence to get want they want. At this moment, what is paramount to them is their re-election, and that practically puts every other thing on hold, including governance.
Interestingly, these bad leaders need no introduction. Their antecedents are there for everyone to see! The mistakes were made in 2015, 2019, and 2023. In 2027, Nigerians are bent to rights the wrong as far as leadership and good governance are concerned. They have suffered and waited too long. They have prayed and hoped for too long. Now is the time to take their own destiny into their hands, and a better time to do that is in 2027. In fact, the year 2027 will be an interesting year in Nigeria political history for some obvious reasons. First, the coming of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) into the Nigerian political space is not only refreshing but assuring. At least it would give Nigerians a viable option to select their leaders. Though, one might argue that ADA is still made up of the same set of politicians that have held the country down. In this case, “the devil you know is better than the angel you do not know.” APC came, disguising like an angel only to further destroy the country beyond our widest imagination.
While some few persons in the corridor of power are looking forward to 2027 with anticipated excitement, majority of others, currently been affected negatively by the economic policies of the current government, are hoping and praying that 2027 should come sooner than later so that the self inflicted hardship and suffering would slowly come to an end.
Indeed, the 2027 general elections would be a defining moment for Nigeria and Nigerians. Hardly had we recovered from the eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s clueless government when Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s poorly thought out and shabbily implemented policies set in.
In fact, it has been rough and tough for many Nigerians this past two years under President Tinubu. In 2023, Tinubu campaigned the length and breadth of Nigeria on his ‘renewed hope’ agenda after Nigerians lost hope in Buhari’s government. Top on his 8-point agenda was: national security, economy, agriculture, power, oil and gas, transportation, and education.
Security of lives and property has not improved under this government. Bandits, killer herdsmen, and kidnapping are still having a field day. Despite the huge spending on defence and security, the situation is not showing any sign of abating.
The current food crisis in Nigeria is not just worrisome but troublesome. According to the World Bank, at least 25 million Nigerians faced acute food insecurity in 2024. The prices of staple foods like rice, garri, yam, and beans have risen by over 300 per cent in some regions, making them unaffordable. Nigeria spends $2.5 billion yearly on food imports, the Central Bank of Nigeria says. According to the NBS, food inflation exceeded 40 per cent year-on-year as of May. Most farmers no longer go to the farm for fear of being killed. In all, 165 farmers lost their lives in 2024 alone. The worst hit states are: Benue, Sokoto, Niger, and Plateau. Also seriously affected are: Kaduna, Zamfara, and Katsina.To harvest their crops, bandits regularly impose levies on farmers in parts of Niger and Kaduna states, which has forced farmers to stay at home hungry and helpless.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the number of food-insecure Nigerians increased significantly, from 66.2 million in Q1, 2023, to 100 million in Q1, 2024. It went further to say that with 18.6 million facing acute hunger and 43.7 million, Nigerians are showing crisis-level or above crisis- level hunger coping strategies as of March 2024.
The current economic hardship as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy and devualuation of the naira has further impoverished many Nigerians. Today, prices of food stuff in the market are beyond what the masses can afford. To say that Tinubu’s programme and policies have driven many families into abject poverty is just stating the obvious. The current food inflation of 23.01% has made nonsense of our naira to the extent that N10,000 can hardly cook a pot of soup now.
However, there are still some few decent politicians that meant well for Nigeria and Nigerians, and they are the ones we should give the opportunity to mount the saddle of leadership in 2027. They want to serve and give their best shot in turning things around for the good of the common man. They want to curb waste at all cost, improve the economy, fight insecurity, and attract foreign investments. These are people the majority of Nigerians want in power come 2027.
No doubt, Nigerians are tired of failed promises, empty rhetorics, and false pretences by our political elites. Over the years, our politicians have weaponized poverty. During campaigns, they use money and gift items to lure voters to vote for them. The electorates are much wiser now!
These desperate politicians are now mopping lots to money ahead of 2027 to buy their way. Surprises await them!
Of course, defeating President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in 2027 might not come easy, especially if Nigerians do not unite against these merchants of insecurity and bad governance desperate to stay in power beyond 2027.
Nigerians united in 2015 when they voted for change only to get the opposite in return.
One thing our politicians don’t do in this part of the world is to resign on their own volition, even when they know they have not just failed Nigerians, but themselves. The last thing Tinubu will do is to resign. Those calling that he should not run in 2027 because he would be defeated should be reminded that it is still within his rights to contest irrespective of the outcome.
Speaking recently on Arise Television, the former Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed advised President Bola Tinubu not to seek re-election if he was truly a smart politician.
“Buhari did not develop Nigeria, Buhari did not provide security, Buhari did not fight corruption. Neither will Tinubu ever do this.
“I see APC losing the 2027 election. I see Nigerians somehow uniting, listening to what someone like me is saying that if you cannot practice this, democracy is not for you, and then Nigerians will decide to come out and practice democracy for the first time, and then bad leadership will begin to have no hiding place in Nigeria,” Datti predicted.
President Bola Tinubu has lashed out on those behind a proposed political coalition aimed at stopping his re-election bid in 2027, describing them as “internally displaced persons.” Speaking while inaugurating legacy projects executed by Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, in Lafia, the President dismissed the alliance as an early and misguided political move.
“Those who have triggered the early politics in the perdition of the coalition suddenly, don’t pay them any attention; they are the political IDPs. Don’t give them a home; the hope is here,” the President said.
Some popular Yoruba actors and actresses such as Ebun Oloyede (aka Olaiya Igwe), Ibironke Ojo-Anthony (aka Ronke Oshodi Oke), Bukky Raji (Aminatu Papapa), and Ganiu Nafiu (Alapini) have openly apologised to Nigerians for supporting the candidacy of President Bola Tinubu. One such actress is Bukky Raji, popularly known as Aminatu Papapa. She has publicly apologised to Nigerians over her support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 general elections, saying her decision was driven by business interests and misplaced trust. In a now-viral interview with Oyinmomo TV on YouTube, the actress said she deeply regretted backing the Tinubu campaign and appealed to Nigerians, especially those going through hardship, to forgive her.
“What I regret in my life is that they said they wanted to renew hope. I use this moment to beg Nigerians, those I love, that love me and don’t love me. The only thing I regret…I wasn’t told, I later saw it. Don’t be angry, your source of living won’t be difficult. There is a saying that anyone that you have not seen for a long time, there is a need to observe the person carefully again, not vouching for the person. That was where I made a mistake,” Bukky lamented.
The anger against hunger and insecurity seems to be coming from every corner of the country; people are fed up with false promises. They are gradually becoming united against hunger, insecurity, and leaders who do not mean well for them.
Nigerians must, therefore, go beyond lamentation and frustration and vote in the right candidates in 2027. The hardship induced by the present administration is something that should not be forgotten in a hurry.
Our lawmakers also need to work on our electoral reforms, fine-tune grey areas, and ensure they do not give any loopholes for manipulation.
Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, said, “In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of”. Amidst the biting hunger and poverty stirring the mases on the face, our so-called politicians are still living a life of opulence.
