Nigeria risks losing progress without Tinubu's re-election, Oluwajana, APC leader

A former National Vice Chairman for the South-West of the All Progressives Congress, Bankole Oluwajana, shared his thoughts in this interview with WALE AKINSELURE. He talked about the 2027 presidential election, the opposition's plans, subsidy removal, Tinubu's government, restructuring, and political changes in Ondo State.

Oluwajana believes the opposition is not taking any real action. He said, "It cannot work. The reason it cannot work is that many of them are people of ambition. People of ambition don’t look at any other interest." He pointed out how Peter Obi keeps switching parties, just like Atiku Abubakar. He added, "Atiku is also a man of ambition, and he has changed to virtually every available party." He thinks that if they want to collaborate, they admit that they have failed. He said, "In other words, Atiku will work with Obi when he knows that Obi cannot win, and Obi knows that Atiku cannot win."

He explained that the opposition is splitting the votes against Tinubu. He said, "But I will add that such a concoction cannot work. And they are not telling us anything they did not say in 2023." He also criticized their focus on a supposed case against Bola Tinubu in the United States. He asked, "Was it not there in 2023? Did they not bring it up in 2023? And how does that affect Nigeria? Will the votes be cast by Americans? It just doesn’t make sense."

Oluwajana dismissed Atiku's claims on subsidy. He said, "Atiku says whatever he could say to show that he could do something better, but his history does not justify that." He recalled how Atiku talked about subsidy in the last election. He stated, "Atiku will say anything just to give the dog a bad name to hang it. And serious people would not take him seriously."

He explained that the subsidy has benefited the wealthy. He said, "Subsidy has enriched the privileged because they have the network of friends to tap into it." He warned that returning it would widen the gap between the rich and the poor. He shared how people exploited the subsidy system in the past. He said, "What people were doing was that they would incorporate a company in the United States where they wanted to buy something."

He highlighted that Nigerians are smart in business. He narrated, "They would source foreign exchange here, and the foreign exchange would be taken there, and they would now buy the thing for $2,000 there." He explained how this created wealth without real work. He added, "So, the rich people were buying houses in the United States of America. Now, it is tough for them to do that."

Oluwajana said that the current system of subsidy removal and naira deregulation has opened opportunities for citizens. He said, "The system that we are running with the subsidy removal and naira deregulation has given an advantage to anybody who can think. So, it is economically advantageous to the citizens." He noted that the costs of transport and housing have risen, pushing people to think creatively.

He discussed Tinubu's understanding of Nigeria's structure. He said, "Tinubu knows that the structure in Nigeria is such that the governors hold a lot of power in the states. That wasn’t created by him; that was created by the Constitution." He mentioned that Tinubu is trying to make the best out of a difficult situation. He said, "There is nothing he could have done. He still has to use them to be able to reach the people as much as possible."

Oluwajana described Makinde as a lost soul. He said, "Makinde is a lost sheep. He is like the story of the prodigal son. I used to love him as a young, vibrant, ambitious man." He feels that Makinde is driven by anger and ambition, noting, "He has not said anything with what he has said."

He believes the opposition is trying to weaken Tinubu's support in the South-West. He said, "As far as the South-West is concerned, they are struggling behind Tinubu. Except for the prodigal son, we are all solidly behind Tinubu."

On ethnicity and religion, Oluwajana thinks their impact will be less than in the last election. He said, "In 2023, there was so much talk about a Muslim-Muslim ticket. If you gauge it, that call has gone down." He pointed out that many Northern governors support Tinubu. He said, "Is Mai Mala Tinubu not a Fulani? Is he going to work against Tinubu on election day?"

He warned about the consequences of losing Tinubu's leadership. He said, "We will lose a lot. All the gains we have had over the years will be lost." He added that without a well-structured system, survival would be a fight for everyone. He concluded, "But you don’t need to do that if the system is well-structured and organised the way it is being built now."