Former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, has issued a strong warning against what she described as attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to weaken opposition parties and turn Nigeria into a one-party state ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking during an appearance on Vanguard’s political programme Politics Hub, the former deputy governor painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s current political and economic situation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Bucknor-Akerele described the country as being in a “dangerous political climate,” citing rising insecurity, economic hardship, and growing political tension across the nation.
“We are in a very dangerous political climate at the moment,” she said. “We are in danger of being swamped by insurgents and then, we are also in danger of being lost economically because the economic situation is really disastrous.”
She noted that many Nigerians are struggling to survive amid worsening living conditions, adding that the inability of citizens to afford daily meals reflects the depth of the country’s economic crisis.
“Most people are finding it difficult to be able to eat one square meal a day and this is a tragic situation for us to be in,” she stated.
The former deputy governor also accused the APC of attempting to infiltrate opposition parties in a bid to dominate Nigeria’s political space before the next general election.
“Look at what is happening to all the political parties. The main party is trying to infiltrate all the political parties and turn Nigeria into a one-party state and I do not think it can work,” she said.
Bucknor-Akerele served as deputy governor to Bola Tinubu between May 1999 and December 2002 during his tenure as governor of Lagos State. Her exit from office followed political disagreements with Tinubu, years before he became Nigeria’s president.
Reflecting on their working relationship, she claimed the two clashed over political direction and control of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the dominant South-West political platform at the time.
“Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not want to work with me at all because he had a different agenda to the agenda of what the AD stood for at that time,” she alleged.
According to her, Tinubu wanted political allies who would support his effort to take over the party structure, a move she said she resisted.
“What he wanted was somebody who would assist him in taking over the AD and because I was not ready to do that, we had our differences,” she explained.
Bucknor-Akerele further argued that political leadership should be driven by service rather than personal ambition.
“I think some people go into power for self-aggrandizement, while others go into power because they want to serve,” she added.
Her comments come amid growing political realignments and early manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with debates intensifying over the future of opposition politics in Nigeria.
