First, a few necessary disclosures about one of the subjects of this reflection, the Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara. We have shared the bonds of friendship for over thirty-six years, having once walked the same academic corridors at the University of Jos, where we both studied law, and later at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. Ours has been a long, evolving friendship, enriched not merely by time, but by the quality of thoughts exchanged over the years. In this digital age, with the internet collapsing distance and instant messaging enabling the flow of ideas at the speed of thought, we have often found ourselves engaged in private, sometimes spirited, intellectual conversations on subjects both urgent and discursive.and presides over a government soaked in ostentation. This is not the power of example. This is the example of power, without vision, control without compassion.
Dogara’s remarks tried to separate Tinubu from coercive power. He said: “Not by the example of his power, to say that I’m forcing myself because I have my hands on the levers of the coercive apparatus of the state.” Yet, this is precisely what has begun to happen. The President has filled the Independent National Electoral Commission with loyalists. The judiciary is increasingly compromised. Governors and legislators are made to bow at the altar of Bourdillon or be humiliated. Dogara’s language absolves Tinubu too quickly. He paints him as a man who merely could use coercion, rather than one who is already doing so.
Let me be clear. Our country cannot afford more of Tinubu. The 2023 election was a mirage. 2027 must be a reckoning. First, Tinubu has no coherent vision. His “Renewed Hope” agenda is a slogan, not a strategy. His economic reforms are haphazard. There is no long-term investment in public infrastructure. No credible plan to reform education. No urgency about health care. No interest in creating real jobs. Second, his style of governance is steeped in nepotism and patronage.
Appointments are made on the basis of loyalty, not competence. Ministers lack direction. Government agencies operate like fiefdoms. Third, he is disconnected from the sufferings of ordinary citizens. How can a leader who has not addressed the soaring cost of living, who has not curbed the dollarisation of our economy, who has said nothing meaningful about the kidnapping of schoolchildren or the slaughter of farmers, be said to wield the “power of example”?
Fourth, Tinubu lacks democratic humility. He has not shown respect for dissent. He avoids the media. He does not speak to the people. He hides behind proxies and spin doctors. He governs like a man who believes the presidency is his entitlement, not a trust. Fifth, and finally, Tinubu’s politics is anchored in the past. He is the godfather of a political machine that has corrupted Lagos and now seeks to extend that corruption nationally. Our country cannot afford to be governed as Lagos has been: where a few men own everything and millions struggle for scraps.consults, who learns. We need a president who is not afraid to lose power if doing so preserves integrity. One who would rather do what is right and be voted out than do what is popular and win.
We need a president who lives modestly, speaks plainly, and acts justly.
In 2027, citizens must ask themselves: who among the contenders reflects these values? Who shows not just competence, but character? Tinubu has had his chance. He has used it poorly. He should not be given another. Dogara’s remarks, though well-intended, confuse appearance for essence. It is not enough to say the right thing. One must also do the right thing. And when someone consistently does the wrong thing, no amount of oratory can rescue them.
Let citizens not be fooled by slogans. Let them not confuse the absence of tyranny with the presence of virtue. Let them not mistake cleverness for wisdom. Tinubu is not the example we need. And if our dear fatherland is to survive as a democratic republic, then 2027 must be the year we say, enough.
Our country deserves better.
Citizens must demand a country that works.
Abdul Mahmud is a human rights attorney in Abuja
