Nigeria may break up before 2027, if… – Ex-Ohanaeze President-General, Nwodo

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – Former Minister of Information and erstwhile President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, has cautioned that Nigeria risks disintegration before the 2027 general elections unless urgent steps are taken to restructure the country.

Delivering a keynote lecture titled ‘How Did We Get Here?’ at the public presentation of two books by veteran journalist Ike Abonyi, Nwodo criticised Nigeria’s governance framework, describing it as a ‘unitary constitution masquerading as federalism’ that has failed to address the country’s complex challenges.

The book launch, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, attracted key political figures including Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, PDP chieftain Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, who was represented by the Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Emmanuel Agbo.

Nwodo called for the devolution of power to the regions, resource control by sub-national governments, and fiscal federalism, warning that failure to implement such reforms could plunge the country into a constitutional crisis.

“Nigeria must restructure and give its component units sovereignty over its natural resources, provided they pay royalty or some form of taxation to the Federal government to maintain federal responsibilities like external defense, foreign missions, customs, and immigration. In this way, true democracy will evolve, and the speed of development will increase,” Nwodo stated.

He warned that if restructuring does not happen before the 2027 elections, some regions may boycott the polls or reject the results, further destabilising the nation.

“If it does not happen, we will have no alternative but to go our separate ways,” he added.

The former Ohanaeze leader also cited dire socioeconomic conditions in the country, including high youth unemployment, worsening poverty, and a decaying infrastructure.

Referencing the United Nations World Population Prospects 2025 report, he said Nigeria now has the lowest life expectancy in the world at 54.8 years. He also cited a World Bank estimate that over $1 billion is lost annually to poor road infrastructure.

Former PDP National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus, who also spoke at the event, accused President Bola Tinubu of overseeing the ‘gradual liquidation’ of Nigeria’s democracy and economy.

“We are still far from getting to a point where we can say we have democracy. We don’t have democracy in our country. What we have is a platform for winning elections. Our country is gradually moving in the wrong direction to a place where you can say Nigeria is on the verge of liquidation presided over by Bola Tinubu,” Secondus said.

He also criticised Nigerian political parties for lacking ideological clarity and consistency, contrasting them with South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC), which he described as a durable political institution.

Martins Oloja, veteran journalist and former Managing Director of The Guardian, who reviewed the books, The Bubbles of Nigeria’s Democracy: The Musings of a Nigerian Journalist and Wadata Wonders: Memoirs of a Partisan Journalist, commended Abonyi for openly identifying as a partisan journalist.

He argued that such a stance offers a necessary challenge to Nigeria’s longstanding expectation of media neutrality.

“The author shows in so many articles in both books that in a functional democracy, the presence of alternative views is crucial for ensuring that citizens have access to a wide range of perspectives and ideas. This diversity of thought allows for informed decision-making, promotes critical thinking, and fosters a more inclusive and equitable society,” Oloja said.

Peter Obi’s presence at the event stirred speculation of a possible political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections, though he declined to make any public statement on the matter.

The post Nigeria may break up before 2027, if… – Ex-Ohanaeze President-General, Nwodo appeared first on Vanguard News.