Leke Abejide, a senior member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the current House of Representatives member for Yagba East/Yagba West/Mopamuro Federal Constituency in Kogi State, has issued a stark warning to Nigerians about prominent coalition leaders including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi.
In a recent interview on the Mic On podcast, Abejide criticised these political figures, arguing that they are neither infallible nor messianic figures. He pointed out that all of them have previously held governmental positions, yet Nigeria did not prosper significantly during their tenure.
“Did Nigerians enjoy during their own time? All of them — Atiku, Aregbesola, Amaechi, David Mark, El-Rufai — have governed before. None of them have not been in government,” Abejide said. “So, Nigerians enjoyed during their period? Are they coming from heaven? Are they angels? What can they do better than Asiwaju now?”
Abejide further emphasised his support for the current administration under President Bola Tinubu, known colloquially as ‘Asiwaju.’ He claimed that Tinubu’s leadership marks a distinct departure from past governance and that the current reforms are already having positive effects.
“When I came in as a Rep member, I said I was going to do things differently — things different from my predecessors,” he explained. “If I’m not doing it well, I wouldn’t have been winning from an unknown party. So, Asiwaju is doing something different to reposition the economy. He is doing very well.”
He also highlighted infrastructural developments within his constituency, noting unprecedented ongoing projects and acknowledging that while reforms can be painful, the current difficulties are less severe than when they began.
“When you go to my constituency and see the ongoing projects, it has never happened before,” Abejide remarked. “These reforms definitely come with pains, and if you notice now, the pain is not as much as when it started.”
The remarks come amid growing discussions on the effectiveness of coalition leadership and the direction of Nigeria’s political future as President Tinubu’s administration continues its agenda of economic repositioning and reform.
