Tinubu has the best chance of winning the 2023 presidential election, says Adegbuyi

Bisi Adegbuyi is the former Postmaster General of the Federation. He spoke of the need for Nigeria to amend the 1999 Constitution if the next president is to act. In this interview with SEYE OLUMIDE (Head of the South West Office), he also expressed confidence that the national leader and presidential candidate of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the next general elections. .

What could Nigeria do about the 1999 Constitution, which many believe is responsible for all the problems facing the country? The elections are fast approaching and it is practically impossible to carry out a complete overhaul of the 1999 Constitution, we can only do with the modification of the Constitution pursued by the leadership of the National Assembly. If we don't get what we want, we will have to like what we get in the circumstances and then make political reform one of the issues that should come first.

On the agenda of whoever is emerging as president, who I believe will be Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, if he is not to fail in power, he must prioritize political reform. I think now is the time to put some issues in context or proper perspective.

I have always argued in Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) that it is time we changed our communication strategy regarding our advocacy for restructuring. It is incumbent on those advocating for restructuring to review how far they have gone and turn narratives into political reform.

Let's communicate what we stand for in a way that other forces will listen and be able to address the fears of those who vehemently oppose restructuring. These people believe that restructuring is a recipe for disintegration, but whether they are right or wrong is another matter altogether.

If this is the mindset of those opposed to restructuring, shouldn't we continue to make our advocacy more difficult by not changing our communication strategy? Therefore, I believe the way forward is political reform.

Nigeria in my view needs political reform and I would like to say that due to mutual suspicion, mistrust, ethnic divides and the fact that we have done a very poor job To capitalize on our diversity, now is the time for Nigeria to consider confederation as a system of government.

Nigeria is far too divided now for federalism to work out, what's more? Nigeria is tailor-made for a confederal system of government, and I will highly recommend the model they operate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

I think the next president (Tinubu) would be lucky, in the sense that he has built a network of friends and political associates who can easily identify with him. We can constructively engage people like Governors Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State, Governor Inuwa Yaya of Gombe State, Governor Umaru Ganduje of Kano State and let them see the reason why we should consolidate what they fought for, because these are the people who stood their ground and said that the presidency must return to the south. To consolidate this is to go further and ensure that we embark on political reforms that will bring about a confederal system of government, which is a win-win situation for all geopolitical areas in Nigeria.

Some people think that whoever wins the 2023 elections must have the support of the owners of Nigeria. Who are the owners of Nigeria? Don't we know them all? Anyone who has ruled Nigeria twice, whether as military head of state or civilian president, as dictator or otherwise, the various army chiefs of staff and others. They are no more than 5000. You see, very few people affect fundamental changes anywhere in the world. Whether these people behave like statesmen, live above all odds, forget about self-interest, is another matter.

What do you think of the recommendations for a confederal style of government? People who benefit from a union do not want to leave the union, they become centrifugal when they see that the union does not take care of their needs in any way. An example is insecurity. Okay, mention any country more united than the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They forged unity without compromising the affairs of their people. For me, this is a test of how to understand Nigeria's problems. I was PostMaster General for three and a half years and made friends all over Nigeria. Nigerians want progress and when I watch the interview of a man who I later found out was a commissioner under Governor Ganduje, I almost shed tears. This is from a northerner, people should try to review the viral video. I have nothing to add to what the man said about Nigeria, because Nigeria is obvious...