By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka in Abuja
Principal Partner at Chinenye Chambers, Amobi Nzelu Esq, has described the planned meeting of opposition leaders in Ibadan on August 18 as necessary for democracy, but expressed doubts that the alliance will produce the kind of leadership Nigeria needs.
Nzelu, speaking on national politics, said the convergence of figures like Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso and host Governor Seyi Makinde is “good” in principle, but questioned the credibility of the people driving it.
What you find in ADC, you find in APC, you find in PDP, you find in NDC, the same leopard’s skin, the same people trying to recycle themselves,” he said.
For him, the problem is not whether opposition parties meet, but whether they can produce a candidate with the willpower to do the right thing for Nigerians. “What is not forming a formidable opposition that is the issue is the man who has the will power,” he stated.
Nzelu warned that power often changes people once they get into office. “The man who will rather run to the constitution of Nigeria, once he enters the office, the power in that office will possess him. He will not do the will of the people again.”
He cited the 2015 alliance that brought President Muhammadu Buhari to power as an example. “Bringing of Buhari was a disaster that took this country 35 years backwards. And the man that came in after Buhari promised to continue from where Buhari stopped.”
The lawyer said Nigeria has “good materials” but lacks leaders who can rise above tribe, ethnicity and religion. “Until we bury tribe, bury ethnicity, bury religion, we cannot achieve a very dynamic government in Nigeria,” he argued.
Nzelu was particularly critical of governance and spending priorities. He questioned the rationale behind buying expensive vehicles for lawmakers while citizens suffer hardship, and lamented Nigeria’s rising debt profile.
“That amount that was shared amongst them, was borrowed, and we’re still borrowing. The debt profile of Nigeria today, I don’t think 10 generations will finish paying it,” he said.
On zoning, the senior lawyer said it is the South’s turn to produce the president. He referenced the rotation in Anambra State and argued that after eight years of Buhari and four years of Tinubu, the presidency should remain in the South.
Asked who the opposition should support between the presidential candidates, Nzelu said age and rotation should be considered. “There’s already a man on the throne. He has done four years. What will it cost Atiku to support somebody from the South?”
In conclusion, Nzelu said Nigerians need “a focused, determined, and self-willed leader, not coalition or whatever you call it, one that will stand up and say no.” He added that true federalism and making the center less attractive would do more for the country than another alliance of familiar politicians.
