Buba Galadima, a leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has warned that Nigerians could react violently in the polls if the country’s economic and security problems don’t get better. He compared this to the 2015 election loss of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Galadima spoke last night as a guest on Channels Television, where he criticized the policies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and said that assertions that living conditions have become better are not true.
Galadima talked about political dissent and governance, saying that authorities shouldn’t ignore what the public thinks, pointing to cases where people were arrested for speaking out.
“Look at the young men in Kano who go to the radio to share their thoughts. They have been caught and sent in jail. Judges sometimes try them at night and have to put them in jail.
“This, now things start little, small. You don’t know how they can grow and change into something different. They shouldn’t play. “Don’t think that Nigerians are easy to fool and won’t respond,” he urged.
The NNPP leader said that the 2015 election showed that Nigerians were willing to vote out a government that was already in power because of security issues.
“They should remember, and they know better, that when things got to less than 10 per cent of the situation we find ourselves in in 2015, Nigerians rose to the occasion and removed that government.
“If you can get rid of Jonathan’s government because of a minor issue in the Northeast, what would you do to the APC government? He said, “I think we need to cut them into pieces.”
Policies for the economy
Galadima also accused the government of undermining agriculture through import policies and rising production costs, particularly fertiliser prices.
“This administration has decimated farming on purpose, taking away the rights of farmers who make up 75% of the Nigerian people… You need to spend between 60,000 and 70,000 naira on a bag of fertilizer.
He disagreed with the government’s claim that things are getting better, saying that farming in rural areas is getting worse.
“How can you take away the rights of 75% of your people for the sake of one contractor or supporter?” The huge amount of grains that are brought in… This year I went to Maiduguri… No one is undertaking any dry farming.
“Let the government deploy researchers to find out now… He remarked, “If there is no famine, all the rice mills, more than 1000 of which were built during Buhari’s time, will die.”
The Political Background
Critics stated that the change from the Jonathan administration to the APC-led government was marked by ongoing insecurity and economic problems.
The APC ran for office in 2015 to get rid of President Goodluck Jonathan. They said he had failed to stop Boko Haram and the kidnapping of the Chibok girls, which led to the global “Bring Back Our Girls” movement.
APC leaders, like current President Bola Tinubu, said that Jonathan was not able to keep the country safe.
The APC, led by Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, has been criticized for the economy, reforms, GDP, and security since taking power.
Since Tinubu took office in 2023, his government has made certain “hand-biting reforms,” such as ending gasoline subsidies and unifying the currency rate. These changes have caused record-high inflation and increased living costs.
Protests and cries for accountability have grown stronger, especially with the recent arrests of military officers who were reportedly planning a coup.
As the 2027 elections get closer, Nigerians and opposition parties are working together to bring about change. The administration, on the other hand, is pushing for constitutional changes to make the country safer.
Galadima’s comments also come at a time when political disputes are getting more heated as the 2027 general election cycle approaches. Opponents are becoming more vocal in their criticism of the APC governments’ economic improvements and security record.
The federal administration says that changes must continue in order to stabilize the economy, but critics say that inflation, food prices, and insecurity are still making people unhappy.
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