Human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has poured cold water on calls for former President Goodluck Jonathan to stage a political comeback in 2027, insisting that Nigeria’s problems transcend individual leaders.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Farotimi stressed that rotating the same politicians without fixing the country’s deep-rooted structural issues would never deliver meaningful change.
“A thousand Goodluck Ebele Jonathans cannot solve the problems of Nigeria. If we do not address our structural problems and tell ourselves the truth, nothing is going to change. They can recycle all these people as many times as they can,” he declared.
He recalled that Jonathan was fiercely criticised and voted out of power in 2015, yet a decade later, political actors are attempting to rebrand him as a “saviour.”
According to Farotimi, the push for Jonathan’s return is less about the people and more about the convenience of the political elite. “They want to bring Goodluck Jonathan because it is the safe option for them. It is not about what is in it for the people,” he said.
The activist maintained that genuine transformation should come from strengthening systems and institutions, not recycling past leaders. “If we’re talking about change in 2027, what does it mean in education? What does it mean for security, agriculture, telecoms, or the structure of the country?” he asked.
Farotimi urged Nigerians to demand systemic reforms instead of looking backwards for salvation.
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