Kofo Bucknor-Akerele Criticises Tinubu’s 2027 Re-Election Focus

Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Kofo Bucknor-Akerele, has described President Bola Tinubu’s reported re-election ambitions as a misplaced priority, urging the administration to focus instead on addressing Nigeria’s deepening economic, security, and institutional challenges.

Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme aired on Thursday, Bucknor-Akerele — who served as deputy to Tinubu from May 1999 until her resignation in 2002 — said national development, not political ambition, should be the government’s immediate concern.

“Unfortunately, right now, what I see is that the president is looking for a second term and that seems to be his focus,” she said. “But I think he should try and look at what people like Emeka Anyaoku and so many others of that calibre sat down and they are trying to fashion something that is going to change Nigeria for the future generations.”

Bucknor-Akerele, a member of The Patriots, a group of eminent Nigerians led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku, maintained that the country’s priority must be to implement structural reforms that would lay the foundation for long-term stability.

“I hope that his advisers would be able to tell him that 2027 is not our priority right now; our priority right now is fashioning something that will be able to make Nigeria great again,” she added.

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE RISK OF UNREST

The former deputy governor expressed concern over the growing restiveness among Nigerian youths, particularly the unemployed and underemployed, warning that continued neglect could have serious consequences in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.

“We need full employment for our youths. Many of them are roaming the streets, and some are graduates who are now working as security men. Is that what we want for Nigeria? I don’t think so,” she said.

“It is urgent; it is not something that should be postponed because some people want to be in power. The power which they want, they might not get it, because the youths are now restive and let us pray that things don’t happen and we end up in a revolution in this country.”

NIGERIA IN CRISIS: A CASE FOR DRASTIC ACTION

Bucknor-Akerele warned that Nigeria is in a critical state and called for decisive action to reform its governance systems. She stressed that addressing insecurity, economic instability, and the decline in public services must take precedence.

“We need drastic action right now. We are in dire straits in Nigeria. Look at what is happening in our security, our economy, our education system, and our health system are all in a state of flux. We need drastic actions,” she said.

She reiterated long-standing calls for a decentralised security framework, including the establishment of state police, and urged government to significantly reduce recurrent spending.

“We need a rejig of our security apparatus, there is no doubt about it. We have been calling for state police for a long time… We are also for a reduction in the huge amount that is being spent on recurrent expenditure; recurrent expenditure is taking over our budgets,” she noted.

She also advocated for the return of free education and healthcare services in Nigeria, saying:

“We need to have a system where our children can have free education. After all, there was once free education and free healthcare services in parts of Nigeria.”

“THIS GOVERNMENT HAS NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO LISTEN”

Bucknor-Akerele insisted that the federal government must heed the recommendations of The Patriots and other stakeholders calling for constitutional and institutional reforms.

“I believe that if there is enough pressure on this government, they would have no alternative because there is nowhere in Nigeria that people are not fed up with the situation we are in,” she said.

“If this government thinks they can continue as they are continuing, then, I am sorry, I think this country is into disaster.”