When Tinubu finishes with this country, Nigerians will be begging Buhari – Sowore

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Ahead of Democracy Day, human rights advocate Omoyele Sowore attacked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government, saying that Nigerians regret electing him.

In an interview with Vanguard, Sowore underlined that Tinubu’s leadership has worsened Nigeria’s circumstances even more than the critiques leveled during the time of previous President Muhammadu Buhari.

“My position on this government is not a thought, it’s a clear stance I’ve held long before the 2023 elections. Nigerians made a grave mistake voting Bola Tinubu into office,” he said.

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again: when Tinubu is done with this country, Nigerians will be begging to return to Buhari’s era. He has done irreparable damage economically, socially, politically,

“He has crippled institutions, education, and democracy. Buhari killed Nigeria in eight years; Tinubu came, in two years he is burying it.”

According to Sowore, President Tinubu’s policies have eroded democratic norms, crippled institutions, and made poverty worse.

He was appalled that Nigeria is on the verge of complete collapse and that people no longer have faith in democracy or the democratic process.

“What Nigerians are whispering dangerously is that they no longer believe in democracy,” he said.

“The promises of democracy, free speech, credible elections, freedom to choose have been destroyed,

“Today, people celebrate military dictators just to express their frustration. But to be clear, I don’t support military rules. What we have now is a shambolic democracy.”

Sowore, who has led protest against bad administration and run for president, was straightforward and unyielding in his condemnation of the current political system.

He declared that he would keep opposing a bill that the House of Representatives was considering to make voting mandatory, calling it an effort to create legitimacy by force.

“If you have to use threats to force people to vote, then democracy is dead. Democracy is about choice. You cannot force people to participate in a system they no longer believe in,” he said.

“That proposal is not about boosting participation, it’s about forced legitimacy. They’re desperate because voters turnout is low, so they want to fabricate numbers.

“Those behind these law should know I will oppose them every step of the way.” he argued

In response to a query concerning a possible 2027 campaign, Sowore stated that he does not trust the current election system but that he will keep “running” through lobbying, activism, and protests.

Because he felt that systemic change, not just a change in leadership, was required, Sowore turned down possible partnerships with the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and the LP’s Peter Obi candidates.

“But if you’re asking about elections, I don’t believe in the current ballot system. The 2027 results are already written,” he said. “The only thing that can change Nigeria is rebellion against the system, against another sham election, not against democracy, anyway.”

Even if many people think the country’s opposition movement has been muted since 2023 polls, he asserted that the current opposition lacks bite because of an ideological and convictional crisis.

“That’s because what you call opposition isn’t opposition. Most of them are former APC or PDP members. They share the same ideology or lack of one. Real opposition means clear ideological difference. What we have are political mercenaries looking for the best-paying camp,” he said.

“Most of these defections are transactional. They’re not about values or service. If you dig deeper, you’ll realise they’re just fighting over how to share the loot, not about how to serve the people.”

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