Former Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri, has defended Nigerians' right to oppose President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid, stating there is nothing wrong with such opposition.
Speaking during an interview on Trust Television, Waziri, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), pointed out that President Tinubu himself once led opposition against former President Olusegun Obasanjo, despite both being from the southern region of Nigeria.
"In 2003, all the governors in the South West endorsed President Obasanjo. But Tinubu led the vanguard to reject it, despite Obasanjo being a southerner like him," Waziri stated, dismissing claims that current opposition to Tinubu is motivated by ethnic or regional bias.
The former minister emphasized that Nigerians have the constitutional right to reject leaders based on performance rather than regional identity. He criticized what he described as inconsistency among Tinubu's current supporters, arguing that the same principles Tinubu used to oppose Obasanjo should now apply to evaluating his own administration.
"Everybody knew that between 1999 and 2003, the Obasanjo administration earned public trust through visible development, improved security and national unity," Waziri remarked, highlighting what he sees as a stark contrast with the current administration.
According to Waziri, the Obasanjo era saw Nigeria recovering from the damage of military rule with concerted efforts to promote unity between the North and South. He suggested that comparing Tinubu's government to Obasanjo's only serves to expose the shortcomings of the current administration.
"What we are doing today by resisting Tinubu is justified. He must be judged by his performance, not by regional claims or sentiments," he added, urging opposition parties and the general public to remain united in holding the Tinubu administration accountable ahead of the 2027 elections.
Waziri's comments come amid growing debates about President Tinubu's performance since taking office and speculation about his potential bid for a second term in the upcoming 2027 presidential elections.
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