A prominent member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Dr. Usman Bugaje, has strongly criticized Nigeria’s rotational presidency system, arguing that it has led the country into deep socio-economic challenges.
Speaking on The Morning Show, an Arise TV program, Bugaje described the APC-led government under former President Muhammadu Buhari and current President Bola Tinubu as disastrous.
During the interview, Bugaje emphasized the need for a new approach to governance, one that prioritizes competence over regional or ethnic considerations.
He stated, “I think this is a very familiar conversation in the last 25 years. I think so much has changed that that kind of conversation is actually outdated. Yes, politics is about popular participation. Yes, inclusion is very important. Yes, people need to make sense or have good reasons to be able to participate. But I think what has happened in the last 25 years is the fact that we have tried these kinds of models of the North and the South and this and that, yet the country is only going down the drain. I think it is time to start a new conversation, to start rethinking. How can we have democracy with development?”
According to him, Nigeria has been stuck in a cycle of underdevelopment due to the continuous recycling of the same political models.
He called for a shift from the “turn-by-turn” presidency to a system that prioritizes competence, adding, “Those tribes who had their chance, what have they done? Is it a tribal matter in the 21st century?”
Bugaje also reiterated his long-standing disapproval of the Buhari administration, asserting that it failed to bring any meaningful benefit to the North despite the overwhelming presence of northerners in the security sector.
“I have consistently said Buhari’s presidency was a disaster. And there are so many other ways that, you know, things that he did by, you know, putting too many northerners in the security sector for no benefit at all from the North,” he stated.
On the issue of leadership selection, Bugaje rejected the notion that the presidency should be decided based on regional balance, arguing instead for a system that prioritizes knowledge, competence, courage, and character.
“Why don’t you pick those competent Nigerians from the different parts of the country to fix and run your country? Why do you go for people who are barely educated, people who are crooks, people who clearly have no idea of where to take this country, who cannot engage the world, who don’t even understand?”
He lamented that many capable technocrats are pushed out of governance due to corruption and political maneuvering, adding, “The few that have come into government have been elbowed out. Some of them have been chased out of government because corruption will not accept the kind of thing that they want to do.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s worsening socio-economic indicators, Bugaje warned that urgent action is needed.
“2030, just another five years from now, we are going to be 300 million. Already today, we have more than 33 million people on the verge of starvation. The United Nations, UN, bodies quote these figures. We have a deficit in grains alone for last year, more than 30 million metric tonnes. We have 20 million children out of school, the highest around the world.”
On the potential for political change in 2027, Bugaje dismissed the idea that power should automatically return to any particular region. Instead, he insisted that only leaders with strong character and competence should be considered.
He also expressed skepticism about former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s chances, despite supporting him in 2023.
“No. No. In fact, if you have been listening to what I have been saying, it is that this idea of supporting one candidate with whatever combination or balance of the ticket to go into the Villa to lock the gates and then the wife would become the Queen Elizabeth of the first and the children would become some prince and princess is outdated.”
He advocated for a collegiate leadership system that would bring together Nigeria’s best minds to solve the country’s pressing problems.
Bugaje also expressed concerns about the APC government, stating, “For me, the APC government from Buhari to date is a disaster for this country. I am not saying the PDP is going to do any better. I have said this several times that I don’t trust the APCs, the PDPs, the APGAs, the Labours. I don’t trust any of these political parties as they stand at the moment.”
Bugaje referenced global political shifts, such as recent events in Senegal and Kenya, to argue that incumbency is no longer a guarantee of political survival.
“Things are changing. You can look at the events in Kenya. So these things are, I mean, the dynamics are different,” he observed.
On potential alternatives, Bugaje revealed that he had considered supporting Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last election.
“Honestly, I didn’t know Peter Obi enough to support him. I have been in this business for 25 years, and I saw there are ways you measure people. You size them up. And so the people that I saw around him are not people that are ready to take the nation together. They were all basically reacting or angry about a particular part of the country.”
He concluded by calling for a new approach to leadership selection, one that prioritizes competence over political ambition.
“If you cannot perform, you leave. What is the performance of the budget of 2024 for this particular president? My figure is that the budget performance was only 22 per cent. Do you think these kinds of people should be allowed to continue? Forget about the fact that he is from the South or from the North or from anywhere. For me, wherever he comes from, if he cannot perform, he should leave. Simple.”
