Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofo Bucknor-Akerele, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s reported interest in seeking re-election in 2027, describing it as a “misplaced priority” amid Nigeria’s deepening socio-economic challenges.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels Television on Thursday, Bucknor-Akerele expressed concern that early political manoeuvring is taking precedence over the urgent need for national reform and development.
“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 are doing — sitting down to fashion something that will change Nigeria for future generations.”
A respected elder stateswoman and member of The Patriots — a non-partisan group of eminent Nigerians led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku — Bucknor-Akerele served as deputy to Tinubu between 1999 and 2002 before resigning from office.
She urged the Tinubu administration to shift its focus away from political ambitions and prioritize national transformation.
“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 said.
President Tinubu, who assumed office in 2023, has come under increasing scrutiny over his economic policies and governance style, as public dissatisfaction continues to mount across the country.
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