Nigeria has rarely witnessed such intense clamour for an incumbent head of state to step down midway through his initial mandate. These relentless demands stem from a kaleidoscope of motives—ranging from economic hardship and partisan rivalry to tribal biases and spiritual premonitions. Adding my voice to this growing chorus, I am now officially advising the Lagos political chieftain to pack his belongings, vacate the presidential villa, and return permanently to his Ikoyi mansion.
Expecting intervention from Godswill Akpabio’s Senate would be utterly futile, so there is no point begging the federal legislature to show him the exit. Unlike the small band of demonstrators spotted at Maiduguri’s West End Roundabout wearing protest shirts, my case for evicting our leader rests on unique grievances. Waiting until the ballot box opens seems far too long for those seeking immediate relief.
This frustration should surprise no one. During the 2023 campaign, the ruling party’s flagbearer openly admitted he avoided digital platforms to shield his peace from relentless online venom. The hostility online has hardly waned, driven by aggrieved digital partisans who remain convinced that their preferred contender’s rightful victory was snatched away from under their noses.
Surely, millions of citizens would rally behind an effort to dislodge him solely over the abrupt termination of the long-standing petrol subsidy in mid-2023—a policy he has rigidly maintained without an ounce of remorse. In championing this cause, one can certainly rely on the enthusiastic backing of perennial opposition figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra chief executive Peter Obi, alongside other fringe candidates whose endorsements barely move the needle.
I previously assumed our former Lagos governor possessed streetwise caution, yet he vigorously scrapped the opaque petrol underwriting regime. How dare he cite the absence of subsidy allocations in the outgoing 2023 fiscal framework as a reason to scrap a mechanism that generously enriched petroleum bigwigs, depot operators, and well-connected importers? What harm was there in blowing nearly 4.4 trillion naira—roughly 10 billion dollars in 2022 alone—on cheap petrol? Previous administrations happily accumulated hard-currency debt and diverted essential capital spending just to keep pump prices artificial. Why abandon such a ruinous tradition when it spared the general populace immediate pain?
Atiku, who historically faced criticism over past privatisation deals and an unyielding thirst for the presidency, now oddly sounds like a champion for ordinary consumers. He repeatedly vows to reinstate the consumer fuel subsidy upon taking the reins, even if his proposal conspicuously lacks practical arithmetic. Without clarity on projected import quotas, required budgetary allocations, or which vital sectors would be starved to bankroll the giveaway, his stance looks more like partisan opportunism than sound fiscal logic. Yet, returning to his model would swiftly stifle domestic refining, revive marathon queues at filling stations, and reinstate economic gridlock—sparing us the incumbent’s aggressive push to finance mega highway networks, railway expansions, and municipal housing.
Beyond the fuel dispute, consider the incumbent’s overwhelming political consolidation, having aligned roughly 32 state executives in his corner. When the ruling coalition held just 21 state houses in 2023, he managed to secure the presidency against a splintered opposition. How on earth can fragmented rivals realistically counter such an entrenched machine ahead of the next general election? Recent off-season governorship races and legislative bye-elections across various states delivered crushing blows to rival platforms, showing dismal tallies even in supposed opposition strongholds.
With alternative political parties failing to build broad national reach, common sense dictated that their figureheads unite around collective initiatives like Donald Duke’s Project 100. Instead, entrenched egos and personal ambitions continue to obstruct any viable coalition. As things stand, isolated candidacies and internal factional disputes ensure that unseating the incumbent remains an insurmountable fantasy.
