A former presidential candidate of the defunct African Renaissance Party, Yahaya Ndu, has expressed concern over the state of the nation, describing Nigeria as a “failed state” and “in a mess in all ramifications.”
Ndu, in a statement on Friday in Enugu, said that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and major opposition parties had no ideology and were more interested in the 2027 elections than governance.
He said the country was facing increasing insecurity and economic hardship, but political actors were preoccupied with how to win the next election.
Ndu, who said he pioneered Nigeria’s first presidential debate in Enugu in 1992, challenged President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to what he called a “thorough debate” on practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
Since 1992, I have been watching the Nigerian political terrain and the politicians closely and in my opinion over 90 percent of our politicians do not care about good governance. They only care about winning elections.
“All the so-called conventions of opposition political parties in Nigeria so far are on how to win elections and how to defeat President Tinubu and the APC. “The APC convention itself was what you would expect when you ask an average student to mark his or her own examination papers.”
The President of the Peoples Movement for a New Nigeria also described the dominance of social media arguments on whether Tinubu’s second term was a “done deal” as “shameful.”
Such talks had overshadowed serious national conversations about the country’s “multifaceted challenges,” he said.
Ndu suggested that the debate be called the “Ernest Ikoli Memorial Presidential Debate” in honour of the late Ijaw-born journalist and nationalist, Ernest Ikoli, whom he said Nigeria had failed to properly immortalise.
He also challenged the former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to the debate.
“What is now required is a robust debate by all political parties and aspirants to the presidency on practical solutions to the challenges facing Nigeria, starting with insecurity,” he said.
He warned that Nigeria’s failure would have dire consequences for Africa and the black race.
He asked the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigerian Bar Association, Christian Association of Nigeria, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum and PANDEF to jointly organise the proposed debate.
He said, “Today, our country is almost a failed state. That must never be allowed to happen because if Nigeria fails, Africa is finished.
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