Salihu Lukman, former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on Nigeria’s former military and civilian leaders to step in and rescue the country from what he describes as the “heartless and mindless policies” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement titled “Nigerian Democracy in ICU,” Lukman urged former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-military leaders General Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, as well as former National Security Adviser Aliyu Gusau, to take urgent action to address the economic challenges facing Nigerians.
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He noted that the country’s economic woes have worsened under the current government, leaving even the working class struggling to survive.
Lukman expressed concern over the weakening of democratic institutions, pointing to the dysfunction of political parties.
He criticized the APC, describing it as a “private limited liability company” controlled by President Tinubu, while also noting that other major parties, such as the PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP, are embroiled in leadership crises. According to Lukman, these issues are denying Nigerians alternative political choices and meaningful opposition.
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“The absence of functional political parties, whose structures should meet regularly as outlined by their constitutions, is proof of the destruction of democratic frameworks. Meetings are not happening, and opposition parties are being manipulated into terminal crises,” Lukman said.
He further questioned whether the country’s former leaders, including Obasanjo, Babangida, Abdulsalami, and Gusau, could be the “doctors” to pull Nigeria’s democracy out of its current Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
While acknowledging that some of these figures have questionable democratic credentials, Lukman argued that their intervention is necessary given the manipulation of opposition parties by the presidency and the dominance of Tinubu over the ruling APC.
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“Although some of these leaders contributed to the current state of the nation, they have a duty to help fix it,” Lukman said, citing Obasanjo’s political practices and Babangida’s Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) as examples of policies that shaped Nigeria’s present challenges.
He argued that these leaders now have the responsibility to assist in reviving the country’s democracy by restoring functional party structures and encouraging internal political competition.
Lukman warned that without strong political parties, Nigerian democracy would remain fragile, with party leaders too weak to hold elected officials accountable.
He called for a revival of political parties with leadership structures that can compete with those of elected officials.
“If these leaders are serious about rescuing Nigerian democracy from its ICU, they must engage with opposition political leaders to rebuild party structures and restore internal competition,” Lukman said.
He stressed that this would be essential for regaining the trust of Nigerians and ensuring elected leaders remain accountable, rather than allowing the current government to continue with its “impulsive and undemocratic policies.”
