Lukman knocks Buhari, Tinubu's governments, says on scale of preference, Jonathan ran better government

* Slams Tinubu ‘for making life unbearable, weakening party structures’

Erstwhile national vice chairman Northwest of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh Lukman, has passed a damning verdict on the administrations of President Bola Tinubu and his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, describing them as worse than former President Goodluck Jonathan’s.

Lukman, in a statement in Abuja on Monday lamented that President Tinubu has not only made life unbearable for all Nigerians but has also created a political paradox as an elected leader who weakened his party’s structures.

The former Director General APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) also claimed that President Tinubu is gradually becoming the most insensitive political leader Nigeria has produced contrary to his posture as a progressive democrat.

“The expectation that democracy will produce better leaders who can be selfless and honest in managing public affairs has been a far cry. Even when popular leaders win what could be judged as free, fair and credible elections, as was the case with former President Muhammadu Buhari and APC in 2015, they end up falling short of public expectations,” Lukman said.

“Admittedly, as it is, the reality is that as bad as former President Goodluck Jonathan was, former President Buhari turned out to be worse and, in every respect, failed to justify the confidence of Nigerians. And now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is proving to be worse than former President Buhari.

“Within less than two years, President Tinubu has made life unbearable for all Nigerians in a magnitude never experienced in the history of the country. Beyond making life unbearable, President Tinubu has also created the political paradox of being an elected leader who has succeeded in weakening the structures of his party.

“Under his leadership, all political parties have been similarly weakened. Consequently, Nigeria is a so-called democracy without any functional political party. Interestingly, contrary to being a progressive democrat, President Tinubu is about the most insensitive political leader Nigeria has seen.

“Insensitive both in terms of being unconcerned about the consequences of the policies of his government on the welfare of citizens as well as being inaccessible to engagement and demonstrating any commitment to accommodate and mobilise citizens to support his government.”

He suggested that the only thing that can stop President Tinubu’s reelection in 2027 is for an opposition political platform with strong relationship with Nigerians to be created.

“Unfortunately, as it is, most Nigerian politicians, including opposition leaders believe that they can continue to manipulate their way to so-called electoral victory. A note of warning may be important at this very early stage of political organising for the new political opposition,” the ex-APC member said.

“The only thing that can guarantee the defeat of APC and President Tinubu in 2027 is if an opposition political platform can be created, which will have strong relationships with Nigerians. Capacity to have a strong relationship is a function of developing a new orientation or outlook.

“This is not going to be easy to achieve. The hard truth is that, if APC with all the promises of CHANGE before 2015 ended up producing the current disappointment, why should Nigerians trust any politician who will come with similar promises of producing a better future for Nigerians?

“And noting that in any case most of the opposition politicians were part of the 2015 APC campaign, which promised Nigerians CHANGE, why should Nigerians trust the newly re-organised opposition politicians?”