When the All Progressives Congress was launched in 2013, it was presented as a coalition of opposition parties which said Nigeria deserved better leadership. The Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change, All Nigeria Peoples Party, and a section of the All Progressives Grand Alliance came together with a common message: the Peoples Democratic Party had ruled for too long and had damaged the country through corruption, weak leadership, poor elections, and failure to tackle insecurity. Many Nigerians believed them. Even those who didn’t support them wished they would be better than the PDP.
At the centre of that opposition movement was the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu. Tinubu had become one of the strongest voices against the Federal Government during the administrations of President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan. The conflict between Tinubu and Obasanjo over Lagos State local government funds became a major political issue that attracted sympathy to Tinubu as a dogged underdog being intimidated by the federal might. Opposition politicians argued that the PDP was intolerant of dissent and loved the display of power. That frustration helped the APC rise quickly.
By 2015, the APC achieved what many thought was impossible. It defeated an incumbent president for the first time in Nigeria’s history. Muhammadu Buhari became president, and millions of Nigerians celebrated what looked like a democratic turning point. Based on all that the APC leaders had criticised about the PDP, people expected a government that would respect institutions, improve security, strengthen the economy and allow internal democracy to flourish. Instead, many Nigerians now believe the country has moved backwards.
Under Buhari, insecurity spread across large parts of the country. Kidnapping became a national industry. Terror attacks continued. Banditry expanded. Farmers abandoned their lands in many communities. Economic hardship deepened. Inflation rose. The naira weakened badly. Businesses struggled.
But beyond the economy and insecurity, many Nigerians became worried about the weakening of democratic institutions. Buhari went after those who didn’t dance to his tune with viciousness. Just before his re-election in 2019, he suspended the head of the third arm of government, Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen. It was shocking and unprecedented in a democratic era.
But typical of Nigerians, many excused Buhari’s leadership style because of his military background. They believed he was used to command-and-control leadership rather than democratic negotiation. But when Tinubu became president in 2023, some people expected a different approach.
Tinubu was widely termed a political strategist with long exposure to democratic politics. He had spent years presenting himself as a hero of democracy, especially during the military era. He had also been known as a strong voice on federalism. All his political life had been focused on campaigning for true federalism. His supporters believed he would strengthen institutions and encourage broader participation within the political system. That expectation faded within less than one year of his coming into office.
Today, one of the biggest concerns in Nigeria is the growing belief that under Tinubu’s presidency, politics has become more important than governance. While citizens struggle with rising prices, unemployment, insecurity and collapsing public confidence, political leaders are consumed by control of structures, alliances and elections. The ongoing conduct of party primaries has worsened things.
Across several states, APC primaries have attracted complaints of manipulation, imposition and lack of transparency. Videos circulate online showing chaotic voting processes and disputed counting methods. On more than one occasion, party officials were captured on video jumping from 10 to 300 or 1,000 during the vote count. Aspirants openly complain that results are predetermined. Some have come out to say they were pressured not to contest at all because certain candidates had already been endorsed by powerful interests. One man went round the community laying curses on the party for scheming him out despite his sacrifices.
Former officeholders, lawmakers and party insiders now speak openly about what they describe as a culture of imposition. In Lagos, actor and lawmaker Desmond Elliot publicly suggested that major decisions within the State House of Assembly were tied to the influence of Tinubu. He said he only signed the impeachment letter of Mudashiru Obasa as speaker because he thought it was the wish of Tinubu.
The situation in Rivers State has also deepened public frustration. The political conflict involving Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has made it clear that party structures and state institutions are tools in a larger power struggle. Many observers believe the battle is less about governance and more about political control ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ordinary Nigerians are watching all of this while trying to survive one of the hardest economic periods in recent memory. Food prices keep rising. Transport costs have become unbearable for many workers. Small businesses are shutting down. Young graduates are leaving the country in large numbers. Kidnapping for ransom and killing have worsened. Yet all the country gets is political manoeuvring for the 2027 elections.
Another growing concern is the condition of opposition parties. There are allegations that the crisis in prominent opposition parties is engineered by the ruling party. The Labour Party has struggled with internal leadership disputes. The PDP continues to battle factional crises. The ADC is rocked by a crisis. The moment some key presidential candidates join a small party, the hitherto unknown party gets embroiled in crisis.
Some critics believe these divisions are not entirely organic. They suspect there are deliberate attempts to weaken strong opposition platforms before the 2027 election. It seems the plan is to ensure that certain strong presidential candidates are prevented from being on the ballot.
These claims are difficult to prove conclusively in many cases. But the perception itself is dangerous for democracy. A healthy democracy requires strong opposition parties and voters to feel they have real choices. When one party appears determined to dominate every structure, every institution and every political space, it weakens democracy. Elections may still hold, but public trust will disappear.
That is the danger Nigeria faces today. Democracy goes beyond merely winning elections. For democracy to be seen as functional, rules must be respected, dissent allowed, and institutions protected from personal control. In addition, systems must be built that survive individual politicians.
The APC once built its national identity around criticism of the PDP. It accused the former ruling party of arrogance, impunity and abuse of power. Many Nigerians supported the APC because they wanted an alternative. But today, many citizens ask a difficult question: what exactly has changed?
If party leaders can decide candidates without transparent contests, if lawmakers are seen as extensions of political patrons, if institutions appear weak before executive influence, and if opposition parties constantly battle destabilising crises, then the country risks returning to the same democratic problems Nigerians once rejected. The saddest part is seeing Tinubu compared to General Sani Abacha, who put pressure on the five registered parties to endorse him as their sole candidate.
The tragedy is that all this is happening at a time when Nigeria can least afford political recklessness. The country is under pressure from almost every direction. Democracy cannot survive where politics is turned into control. No ruling party should fear competition in a true democracy. No president should appear more interested in political dominance than national recovery. No political structure should become so powerful that elected officials lose independence.
Nigeria’s democracy is still young compared to older democracies around the world. That means political actors have an even greater responsibility to protect it carefully. The APC came to power promising change. The real question now is whether it still remembers why Nigerians voted for that change in the first place. It is tragic that while politicians fight over structures and succession plans, ordinary Nigerians are fighting for basic things like safety, food, dignity and survival.
X: @BrandAzuka
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