Former presidential aspirant Patrick Utomi has given a damning verdict on Nigerian politicians in a sweeping characterisation that includes President Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Tinubu, and other political figures across various party lines.

According to him, Nigeria’s politics is annoying.

Mr Utomi said, “The calibre of people who became politicians in Nigeria is a terrible mistake for our country. People have travelled from citizenship to idiocy.” 

Nonagenarian politician Tanko Yakasai over the weekend slammed President Muhammadu Buhari as too inept at solving Nigeria’s problems, insisting he only presented himself for election “to have power and make money.”

Mr Yankasai, who served as an aide to former President Shehu Shagari, told Sunday Tribune that Mr Buhari’s incompetence is evident in his failure to develop a programme that will help tackle the country’s challenges. He described Mr Buhari’s election as the greatest mistake made by Nigerians.

Mr Utomi is now describing the country’s politicians as a terrible mistake for the citizens.  

A politician himself, the economics professor, stated this at the 26th Annual Pre-Ramadan Lecture held in Lagos.

“Nigeria is travelling in the wrong direction. This is really the problem. The gap between us and them is pushed in this emotional pulse,” Mr Utomi was quoted to have said by Punch.

“We seem to stumble from crisis to crisis. In Nigeria, everything you say that seems to be structured, people dismiss it. They say, ‘Na grammar we go chop?’ 

“They forgot that every action starts from a theory. But this anti-intellectual disposition, not thinking, make us create mountains in a small manhole and put our country in a state of permanent crisis.

“We seem unable to have a rational conversation. Nigeria politics irritates, annoys me because it is not dealing with issues people are dealing with.”