Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung
Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has warned that Nigeria’s democratic transition ahead of the 2027 general election is under threat, accusing the President Bola Tinubu led administration of weakening opposition parties, undermining democratic institutions and creating conditions that could erode public confidence in the electoral process.
Speaking with newsmen in a recent interview in Jos, the Plateau State capital, Dalung alleged that the country’s multi-party democracy was being systematically weakened through politically motivated actions against opposition parties, insisting that democracy could not thrive where one political party dominates the political space.
He argued that Nigeria’s democracy was “on life support”, claiming that the institutions and political parties that should sustain democratic governance were under sustained pressure.
According to Dalung, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had encouraged defections from opposition parties and sponsored litigation aimed at destabilising political rivals ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The 2027 transition is under attack because democracy cannot be only one political party. We are constitutionally guaranteed a multi-party democracy,” he said.
Dalung maintained that one of the major issues likely to shape the next presidential election would be President Tinubu’s constitutional qualification to seek another term, arguing that the Supreme Court’s judgment on the 2023 presidential election did not foreclose future legal challenges.
He contended that the apex court merely held that questions relating to a candidate’s qualification were pre-election matters and should have been pursued before the election.
“The Supreme Court only said the issue of qualification is a pre-election matter and should have been raised appropriately. The Supreme Court helped us, educated us and prepared us for 2027.
“We have serviced all our legal arsenals and we are waiting. Let him submit his credentials. INEC has already been put on notice. Let him submit his credentials so we can go to court,” Dalung stated.
The former minister also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity, describing the crisis as a “multi-trillion-naira criminal enterprise” sustained by criminal networks, informants, arms suppliers, rogue security personnel and political interests.
He argued that while security agencies possessed the capacity to tackle the challenge, lasting peace would only come when the Commander-in-Chief demonstrated the political will to confront those behind the violence.
“The day the Commander-in-Chief is willing to deal with insecurity, Nigerians will have peace,” he said.
Dalung further questioned the Federal Government’s anti-corruption drive in relation to the alleged fake federal agency scandal, insisting that any investigation would lack credibility unless President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, steps aside while investigations continue.
He described the ongoing probe as “comedy and drama”, arguing that public confidence could not be restored if officials linked to the controversy remained in office.
On the economy, Dalung criticised the Tinubu administration over worsening hardship, despite what he described as increased government revenues since the removal of fuel subsidy.
He questioned how proceeds from fuel subsidy removal, increased electricity tariffs, higher telecommunications charges, bank fees and public borrowing had been utilised, maintaining that ordinary Nigerians had yet to feel any improvement in their living conditions.
According to him, poverty, hunger and unemployment had continued to deepen despite the government’s revenue-generating measures.
“The more you see, the less you understand. This is the state of Nigeria,” he remarked.
Dalung also defended the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing it as the strongest opposition platform ahead of the 2027 elections despite ongoing legal disputes over its leadership.
He explained that although the Court of Appeal had nullified certain party congresses, the judgment did not invalidate the party itself, noting that the National Working Committee remained constitutionally empowered to appoint caretaker committees to manage the party’s affairs pending the determination of appeals before the Supreme Court.
The former minister maintained that issues relating to party leadership remained internal matters beyond the jurisdiction of the courts and expressed confidence that the ADC would remain a formidable opposition platform in the next general election.
While expressing concern over internal crises affecting other opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, Dalung said Nigeria needed strong opposition parties capable of providing credible alternatives and strengthening democratic accountability.
“I pray they survive so that we can have formidable opposition that will challenge this government,” he said.
