Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has warned that replacing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2027 elections will not address Nigeria’s fundamental problems unless deep-rooted structural issues in governance are tackled.
Speaking during an interview with Channels Television, Farotimi dismissed speculation that Jonathan’s return could offer a political solution to the country’s challenges. He argued that personality changes in leadership are meaningless without institutional reform.
“A thousand Goodluck Ebele Jonathans cannot fix Nigeria. Until we confront the structural problems and face the truth we owe ourselves, no real change will happen,” he said. “We’ve seen this cycle before Jonathan was once vilified and removed under promises of change. Now, there are efforts to bring him back, as though nothing has been learned.”
Farotimi stressed that Nigeria’s governance failures are rooted in systemic decay, not individual leaders. “Removing Bola Ahmed Tinubu today won’t make a difference if we don’t dismantle the corrupt system that produces the same kind of leadership over and over again. Bringing Jonathan back is just another political distraction.”
He called for a focus on institution-building rather than searching for political messiahs. “This is not about finding saviours. We should be building strong systems. How do you rebrand the failure of 2015 into a saviour in 2025? After ten years, we are back to square one, claiming things were better a decade ago.”
Farotimi challenged Nigerians to reject elite recycling and demand genuine leadership with vision. “You can’t rely on the same people who destroyed the country to rescue it. What we call a political class in Nigeria is a collection of self-serving individuals focused solely on power and wealth, not on national development.”
According to him, there’s no real political consensus among the so-called elites, who fail to think beyond their own lifetimes. “To be elite, you must have vision and a commitment to the future traits lacking in our leadership.”
He warned that meaningful change can only occur when ordinary Nigerians organize around a shared demand for transformation. “Change won’t come from above. It will come when the victims of this system unite around real solutions.”
Farotimi also questioned the motivations behind the push to bring Jonathan back, arguing it serves elite interests, not the public’s. “They want Jonathan because he’s the safe option for them — not because of what he offers the people. If we’re talking about change, what does it mean for education, healthcare, agriculture, or restructuring? Nobody is asking those questions.”
Responding to former Anambra Governor Peter Obi’s idea of a one-term presidency, Farotimi said tenure is secondary to substance. “The real question is: one term to do what? If your so-called vision can be accomplished within your lifetime, then it’s not vision, it’s just ambition.”
He added that a truly visionary leader would not need more than two years to implement transformational policies, if the system was designed to deliver results.
Farotimi also criticized the chronic neglect of pensioners and vulnerable citizens. “Suffering in Nigeria has been normalized and ignored. Retirees in Ekiti have gone unpaid for over 15 years, while politicians live in opulence. The system is designed to extract from the people and enrich the rulers.”
He concluded by highlighting the stark contrast between government extravagance and public deprivation. “The president can have the latest yacht, and governors can globe-trot at will. Meanwhile, essential sectors like education are underfunded. It’s not a system for the people, it’s a system against them.”
