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Isaac Fayose has blamed Nigerians for what he described as the country’s worsening political situation, arguing that citizens also bear responsibility for allowing political leaders to act without sufficient resistance.
Fayose made the remarks in a viral video while discussing concerns about Nigeria’s political direction and the possibility of the country moving towards a one-party system.
‘The problem isn’t the leader. It’s the people’
According to Fayose, the challenges facing Nigeria cannot be blamed entirely on the government, as citizens have also contributed to the situation.
“The problem we are having in Nigeria right now is just not about government. It’s the people, the people enabled them to do what they are doing to the country.”
He alleged that political actors were working towards establishing a one-party state, saying Nigerians had been warned about the development for the past two years.
“You know that these people are planning to eat, you know, they are trying to do one party state. We’ve been shouting for two years,” he said.
Fayose questioned why Nigerians would wait until the situation became more difficult before taking action.
“You are now waiting till the minute for it to happen,” he added.
Fayose criticises citizens’ attitude to politics
Fayose broadened his criticism to other African countries, arguing that changing political leaders alone would not necessarily produce meaningful change if citizens maintained the same attitudes.
“The problem isn’t the leader. It’s the people. That’s the truth. Africa has avoided for too long,” he said.
He argued that Africans often demand political change during elections while maintaining what he described as the same mindset.
“We love to shout change every election yet our hearts remain the same. We expect new results from the same broken mindset,” Fayose said.
He further argued that leaders are often replaced by politicians operating within the same environment of what he described as “greed, ignorance and impatience.”
‘Africa doesn’t suffer from a lack of leaders’
Fayose extended his argument beyond Nigeria, mentioning Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“From Nigeria to Kenya, from Zambia to South Africa, from Ghana to Congo, the story repeats like an old drumbeat that never changes its rhythm,” he said.
According to him, Africa’s challenge is not necessarily a shortage of political leaders but a lack of citizens who actively scrutinise and challenge political decisions.
“Africa doesn’t suffer from a lack of leaders. It suffers from a lack of citizens who think,” he said.
He also criticised the tendency of citizens to approach politics like sporting rivalry.
“We treat politics like a football match. We wear party [colours],” Fayose said.
Warns against political silence
Fayose urged citizens to pay attention to political developments and not remain silent when they believe government actions are moving in the wrong direction.
“So can you see what you are doing to yourself, not for our nation to rise?” he asked.
He warned that continued political passivity could make it increasingly difficult for citizens to change the government through democratic means.
“And again, let me now tell you, if you allow this to keep going on, it will be harder to change this government,” he said.
Fayose went on to argue that when corruption becomes deeply embedded within a political system, addressing it becomes increasingly difficult.
“Once the political system has been corrupted right from the top, from the very top to the lowest rungs of the bureaucracy, the problem is almost impossible to solve without a revolution,” he said.
He added that what he described as a cleansing of the political system would have to begin at the highest level and proceed systematically.
Message to Tinubu supporters
Towards the end of the video, Fayose referenced supporters of President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“APC that you are my friend. You call yourself my friend and you are APC. Let me show you what is gonna happen to you,” he said.
He subsequently warned those campaigning for Tinubu that they could eventually face restrictions under the same political system they currently support.
“So you that you are campaigning for President Tinubu now, that is how you go lock yourself inside,” Fayose said.
Watch the video here…
“The problem we are having in Nigeria right now is not just about government. The people enabled them to do what they are doing to the country. Look at what is going on in France”
— Isaac Fayose pic.twitter.com/fxCX66LmRS
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) October 5, 2026