A former presidential candidate of the defunct African Renaissance Party, Yahaya Ndu, has described Nigeria as a “failed state,” warning that the country is “in a mess in all ramifications” amid worsening insecurity and economic hardship.
In a statement issued in Enugu, Ndu criticised both the ruling All Progressives Congress and opposition parties, accusing them of lacking clear ideology and focusing more on the 2027 elections than on governance.
He challenged President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and the 2023 Labour Party candidate Peter Obi to engage in a “thorough debate” on practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
Ndu, who is also president of the Peoples Movement for a New Nigeria, said the country’s political discourse has become overly fixated on elections rather than governance.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
He also criticised ongoing public debates about the 2027 elections, describing them as misplaced given the country’s pressing challenges.
Ndu proposed a structured national dialogue in the form of an “Ernest Ikoli Memorial Presidential Debate,” in honour of Ernest Ikoli, whom he said has not been adequately recognised in Nigeria’s history.
Expanding his call, he urged other political figures, including Rabiu Kwankwaso and Rotimi Amaechi, to participate in the proposed debate.
“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,” he added.
He further warned of broader implications if Nigeria fails, stating, “Right now, our country is almost a failed state, which must never be allowed to happen because if Nigeria fails, Africa is finished.”
Ndu called on key organisations, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigerian Bar Association, Christian Association of Nigeria, and Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, alongside socio-cultural groups, to convene and facilitate the proposed national dialogue.