A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has warned that Nigerians could react strongly at the ballot box if current economic and security challenges continue, drawing parallels with the 2015 electoral defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Galadima spoke on Thursday while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s political programme, Politics Today, where he criticised the policies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and dismissed claims that living conditions have improved.

Weighing in on political dissent and governance, Galadima said authorities should not underestimate public sentiment, citing incidents of arrests over public commentary.

“Look at young men in Kano who go to the radio to make an opinion. They have been arrested and sent to jail. Sometimes tried in the night by judges who are forced to jail them.

“This, now things start small, small. You don’t know how they can blossom and become something else. They shouldn’t play. They shouldn’t presume that Nigerians are gullible and that they cannot react,” he said.

The NNPP chieftain argued that the 2015 election demonstrated Nigerians’ willingness to vote out an incumbent government over insecurity.

“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 remove Jonathan’s government for a simple insecurity in the Northeast, what would you be doing to the APC government? I think we have to cut them into pieces,” he said.

Economic Policies

Galadima also accused the government of undermining agriculture through import policies and rising production costs, particularly fertiliser prices.

“This government has killed agriculture deliberately, disenfranchising farmers who are 75% of the Nigerian population… You have to buy a bag of fertiliser for 60,000 naira to 70,000 naira.”

He rejected the administration’s position that hardship is easing, insisting that rural farming activity is declining.

“How can you disenfranchise 75% of your population for the interest of one contractor or one supporter? The massive importation of grains… This year I travelled to Maiduguri… there is nobody [who] is doing any dry farming.

“Let the government send researchers to find out now… If there is no famine… all the rice mills, over 1000 of them established during Buhari’s time, will be killed,” he said.

Political Backdrop

The transition from the Jonathan administration to the APC-led government was marked by what critics said was persistent insecurity and economic challenges.

In 2015, the APC campaigned to remove President Goodluck Jonathan, citing failures to contain Boko Haram and the Chibok girls’ abduction, which sparked the global “Bring Back Our Girls” movement.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chibok Girls.

APC leaders, including now President Bola Tinubu, argued that Jonathan lacked the capacity to secure the nation.

Since taking power, the APC, under Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, has faced criticism over the economic differences, reforms, GDP, and insecurity.

Meanwhile, since Tinubu got into power in 2023, his administration has pursued some ‘hand-biting reforms’, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, triggering record-high inflation and rising living costs.

Protests and opposition calls for accountability have intensified, with recent arrests of military officers allegedly plotting a coup.

Ahead of the 2027 elections, Nigerians and opposition parties are mobilising for change, while the government pushes for constitutional reforms to strengthen security.

Galadima’s remarks also come amid intensifying political debates ahead of the 2027 general election cycle, with opposition figures increasingly criticising the economic reforms and security record of the APC administrations.

While the Federal Government maintains that ongoing reforms are necessary to stabilise the economy, critics argue that inflation, food costs, and insecurity continue to shape public dissatisfaction. (Channels TV)

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