A member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Murtala Dantoro, has said that the President Bola Tinubu he knows is a good man but admitted that he does not understand what is currently happening under his administration.
Speaking during an interview on Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Dantoro, a member of the Borgu Royal Family in Niger State, made this statement while he was asked to assess the performance of President Tinubu, whom he once strongly supported in 2023.
He expressed concern over the state of the nation, particularly insecurity and economic hardship. He stated that before the 2023 election, the people of Borgu and Agwara Local Government Areas strongly supported Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress.
According to him, residents saw Tinubu as their leader and rallied massively to ensure his victory, revealing that they went through a lot of hardship in the process because they believed in his leadership and vision.
However, he explained that the mood at the grassroots has changed drastically in Niger State, where insecurity has intensified. He noted that many supporters now feel hurt and disappointed, adding that APC’s chances in the state appear slim if elections were held today.
Dantoro pointed to worsening economic hardship and insecurity, stating that many Nigerians feel distressed and disillusioned despite the goodwill they once extended to the president.
He stressed that if his father were to be alive under Tinubu’s administration, he would have had a stroke due to the worsening economic conditions because his father was a strong advocate for a better Nigeria.
In his words, “Okay, I’ll answer you this way. If my father were to be alive, he would get a stroke. He’d be disappointed. The first thing that would disappoint him is the economy, the way people are crying, and the insecurity; it would hurt him.”
“Do you know that that man, every day of his life, he always thought about how Nigeria would become better, and he lost his life in the process of that. So I’ve answered you; that is how he’ll be hurt. Because he didn’t envisage seeing these kinds of things happening because he believed in them.”
“Look, the president I know, the President Bola Tinubu that I know, is a good man, but I don’t know what’s happening. I really don’t know what’s happening.”