Monday Ubani, a former second national vice-president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), says it may be difficult for the opposition to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the next election.
Talks of a merger of opposition political parties have returned to the front burner, following the meeting between Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections.
Speaking with TheCable, Ubani said Nigerians are facing hardship now because some of the reforms of the Tinubu administration, such as the removal of fuel subsidy and unification of the forex windows, are still at their infancy.
“On the possibility of the opposition coming together to form a merger, we have heard that several times. When we get to the bridge, we will cross it. At this stage, it is mere speculation,” he said.
“However, I strongly believe that if this present government, led by President Bola Tinubu, succeeds in turning around the economy and then continue with the reforms on energy sector…
“If the government can make sure the naira regains its value and turns Nigeria into a productive nation with lots of things to export which will earn us foreign reserves, it will be very difficult for any opposition to defeat the government in the next election.”
Ubani urged the Tinubu administration to utilise the monies realised from removal of fuel subsidy to better the lives of Nigerians.
“President Bola Tinubu has embarked on some reforms, some of them are a bit harsh for a reason but if they succeed in using the money we have saved from subsidy removal in developing the nation, building infrastructure, get our railway system working and give Nigerians uninterrupted power supply, it will be difficult for any politician or opposition to truncate his eight-year tenure,” he added.
“Presently, people are feeling the hardship of the reforms because those things are new and we have been used to having subsidy on fuel and electricity.
“Now, they have removed all that in order to free the money. If the people can see sincerity on the part of the government in making sure our resources are utilised for the benefit of Nigerians, no opposition can defeat this government in 2027.”
