Jibrin Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has issued a stark warning to the Nigerian political class ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing the current state of the nation as a "hell" for its citizens. In a detailed post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Okutepa accused political leaders of exploiting ordinary Nigerians as bargaining chips in their struggle for power, only to abandon them once their personal interests are secured.
Okutepa argued that the fundamental tragedy of Nigerian politics is the reduction of the populace to tools for campaigns and access to public office. "Their poverty provides campaign material. Their suffering supplies opposition slogans. Their votes open the doors to public office. Yet, once political interests are settled, their needs are too often abandoned," he stated. He lamented that this betrayal is compounded by influential voices and supposed champions of justice who now justify practices they previously condemned, allowing principles to vanish when personal benefits or alliances change hands.
The senior lawyer questioned the double standard that demands sacrifice from ordinary citizens while those in power protect their own privileges. "The struggling trader must adjust. The unemployed graduate must remain hopeful. The worker must exercise patience. But when will those entrusted with public power accept that leadership requires sacrifice from them too?" he asked. He further criticized the "crooked political games" where fierce opponents reconcile privately when their interests converge, burying promises of accountability and telling citizens to applaud arrangements that offer no tangible relief.
Okutepa asserted that the political system thrives on hardship, which weakens the bargaining power of the people. He noted that a hungry person becomes vulnerable to inducement, and communities desperate for basic amenities may trade their political independence for gestures presented as generosity. "What citizens should receive as a matter of public duty is then advertised as a personal favour," he said, adding that politicians are currently making empty promises to transform the country's conditions if elected, despite the lack of progress since 1999.
He also took aim at those who excuse injustice based on shared party, religion, or ethnicity, warning that such defenses strengthen a machinery that may oppress others in the future. "Poverty does not become less painful because a familiar face inflicts it," Okutepa stated. "Those who were vocal against injustice yesterday are now defenders of the very unjust systems they attacked. What has changed, if I may ask? Nigerians are in hell in their own country."
Concluding his critique, Okutepa called on citizens, professional bodies, labour organisations, and religious institutions to maintain consistent standards regardless of who holds power. He emphasized that the Nigerian masses deserve a government that improves their lives and advocates who stand by them even when it is inconvenient. "The people are human beings with dignity, hopes and rights. No political ambition, alliance or private benefit can justify keeping them poor, powerless and perpetually betrayed," he said.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
