A politician and former presidential candidate of the defunct African Renaissance Party, Yahaya Ndu, has raised concern over the state of the nation, describing Nigeria as a “failed state” and “in a mess in all ramifications.”
Ndu, in a statement issued on Friday in Enugu, criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and leading opposition parties, accusing them of lacking ideology and paying more attention to the 2027 elections than governance.
He said the country was facing worsening insecurity and economic hardship, yet political actors were preoccupied with how to win the next election.
Ndu, who said he pioneered Nigeria’s first presidential debate in Enugu in 1992, challenged President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to what he called a “thorough debate” on practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
He said, “I have been watching the Nigerian political terrain and politicians closely since 1992, and my opinion is that over 90 per cent of our politicians do not care about good governance. All they are interested in is how to win elections.
“So far, all the so-called conventions of opposition political parties in Nigeria are about how to win elections and how to defeat President Tinubu and the APC. The APC convention itself was what anyone would expect when you ask an average student to mark his or her own examination papers.”
The President of the Peoples Movement for a New Nigeria also described as “shameful” the dominance of social media arguments over whether Tinubu’s second term was a “done deal.”
He said such conversations had overshadowed serious national discussions on the country’s “multifaceted challenges.”
Ndu proposed that the debate be named the “Ernest Ikoli Memorial Presidential Debate” in honour of the late Ijaw-born journalist and nationalist, Ernest Ikoli, whom he said Nigeria had failed to properly immortalise.
The former presidential candidate also extended the debate challenge to former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
He said, “What is needed now is a robust debate among all political parties and presidential aspirants on practical solutions to the challenges confronting Nigeria, beginning with insecurity.”
Ndu warned that Nigeria’s failure would have grave consequences for Africa and the black race.
He urged the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigerian Bar Association, Christian Association of Nigeria, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum and PANDEF to jointly organise the proposed debate.
“Right now, our country is almost a failed state, which must never be allowed to happen because if Nigeria fails, Africa is finished,” he said.