Tinubu should not be anointed next Nigeria president: Shina Peller

Mr Peller, a federal lawmaker, said the next Nigerian presidency must be based on a strong institution rather than personality.

Ayoola Babalola • October 9, 2021

Federal lawmaker Shina Peller has stated that the next president of Nigeria should not be chosen based on personality cult or subjective feelings.

Reacting to a question on whether former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu should be president of Nigeria in 2023, Mr Peller says that the president’s office should be based on strong institution rather than individuals. He said criteria should be set, leaving whoever meets the criteria to occupy the office.

“We need to build an institution now, we do not need to take any single person and be saying we want to now rally around that person. I think let us form an institution, let us identify a criteria and let us see who meets up with the criteria.

“There is no institution that has set up the criteria yet, if the criteria says the next president should be christian, is Asiwaju a christian?,” Mr Peller told Sam Olatunji in an interview.

Mr Peller, like Mr Tinubu, is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The House of Representatives member further stated that relying on personalities to save Nigeria was a mistake, and that the next president should be elected through institutions capable of ensuring the competency of the individuals.

“We have made the mistake two times. There was a time in Nigeria when President Obasanjo was brought from prison and everybody was saying he is the best person that could do this and we started to run around him. The Same thing happened to President Buhari, everybody was saying Mohammadu Buhari is a saint, he is not corrupt and then everyone starts to run around him, I believe this must stop,” Mr Peller said.

Mr Tinubu returned from London Friday evening after spending three months undergoing surgery and a follow up therapy on his knee.

A statement by his media office said the former Lagos governor was back and ready to contribute his quota to developing the country’s democracy and economy.

Mr Tinubu is believed to be revving up his political machinery to contest for presidency in 2023. Lagos governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu launched a political support group for him on Thursday.

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