A former National Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dr Usman Bugaje, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, saying the President he once knew as a democrat has changed significantly since assuming office.
Bugaje made the remarks during an interview on Nigeria Unfiltered on Symfoni TV, where he spoke extensively about the state of Nigeria’s democracy, the 2027 general elections, the judiciary, opposition politics, insecurity, poverty and the performance of the Tinubu administration.
Reflecting on his longstanding relationship with Tinubu, Bugaje said he had worked closely with the President during their days in the opposition, travelling and spending considerable time together.
According to him, the Tinubu he knew was a patriotic Nigerian and democrat who was committed to promoting democratic values and fixing Nigeria’s problems.
However, Bugaje said he was now struggling to understand the transformation he believed had taken place in the President’s personality and style of governance.
“If I have my way, I will ask for a psychiatric review,” Bugaje said, adding that he found it difficult to reconcile the Tinubu he knew with the President he sees today.
He described the current Tinubu as someone who, in his view, behaves more like a monarch, insisting that democratic leadership should be based on consultation, persuasion and engagement rather than the concentration of power in one individual.
Bugaje also criticised what he described as the shrinking civic space under the current administration, alleging that opposition figures and critics were being subjected to legal and institutional pressure.
He accused the government of using institutions such as the judiciary and security agencies to weaken political opponents, arguing that state institutions should remain neutral and serve as a last resort for ordinary citizens.
On the 2027 elections, the former ACN official said he believed President Tinubu could be defeated, arguing that the administration had failed to offer Nigerians enough reasons to support its re-election.
“Tinubu has already defeated himself because he has not offered anything to warrant a re-election,” he said.
Bugaje, however, expressed concern that the government could attempt to manipulate the electoral process, while urging opposition parties to put aside personal ambitions and work together.
He said the opposition should be prepared to merge their candidates and cooperate strategically, warning that continued division would make it easier for the ruling party to retain power.
The former ACN secretary also expressed concern about the state of political parties in Nigeria, arguing that many of them lack clearly defined ideological positions on the economy, agriculture, education, infrastructure and other critical national issues.
He said Nigerian politics had increasingly become centred on personalities and the accumulation of wealth rather than competition based on ideas and development policies.
Bugaje further accused the political class of seeing public office as an avenue to enrich themselves rather than solve the country’s problems.
“People are in politics not to fix our country, but to fix themselves,” he said.
Assessing the Tinubu administration, Bugaje said the government had failed in its constitutional responsibility to provide security and welfare for Nigerians.
He cited widespread poverty, insecurity, displacement and the rising number of out-of-school children as evidence of what he described as the administration’s failure.
He also criticised the government’s handling of allegations of corruption, including controversies surrounding the alleged establishment of a fake government agency and allegations involving senior officials.
Bugaje described the wider situation as a manifestation of what he called a “total failure of governance,” alleging that corruption had become deeply entrenched in the political system.
He also criticised the National Assembly for failing to exercise sufficient oversight over the executive, arguing that lawmakers should investigate allegations involving government agencies and public funds.
On the judiciary, Bugaje called for a return to the rule of law, warning that Nigeria could face deeper instability if democratic institutions continued to weaken.
He acknowledged that there were still honest and courageous judges and public officials within the system but said such individuals needed to be supported because institutions could only survive through integrity and resilience.
Bugaje also rejected the idea of establishing state police in its current form, arguing that the concept could be abused by state governors.
According to him, the priority should be to reform and adequately fund the existing Nigeria Police Force before creating another layer of policing that could become politically controlled.
He warned that governors could appoint loyalists to head state police structures, potentially turning them into instruments of political intimidation.
On the role of the northern political and traditional elite, Bugaje said more needed to be done to address the region’s challenges, particularly insecurity, poverty, out-of-school children and maternal and infant mortality.
He said several organisations had conducted research and developed proposals to address the crisis but argued that the lack of political will remained a major obstacle.
Bugaje also blamed Nigeria’s wider elite for remaining silent in the face of the country’s problems.
He urged the elite to stop what he described as “complicity and complacency” and take a more active role in demanding accountability and good governance.
Turning to the 2027 elections, he urged young Nigerians to take a more active role in determining the country’s political future, saying the next election should be an opportunity for the younger generation to demand better leadership.
“Young people of this country should rise up and take back their country from a gang of thieves who have taken over their politics and are destroying their country for them and their future,” he said.
Bugaje also expressed confidence that Nigerians would resist any attempt to extend President Tinubu’s tenure beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms, arguing that there was a limit to what citizens would tolerate.
He maintained that Nigeria’s political crisis could only be resolved through a fundamental return to democratic values, rule of law and accountable leadership.
According to him, the country’s political leaders should prioritise the survival and development of Nigeria above personal ambitions for presidential, vice-presidential or governorship positions.
He called on opposition politicians who genuinely want to reform the country to unite, saying the focus should not simply be on who becomes president but on how Nigeria can be rescued from its current challenges.
Bugaje concluded that Nigeria remained too important to Africa and the world to continue on its current trajectory, warning that the country’s growing population and strategic importance made its political stability and development a matter of global concern.
