Daud Olatunji
A professor and retired naval officer, Commodore Kunle Olawunmi, has warned that the Yoruba people must not tie their political future and security to the outcome of the 2027 presidential election or the political fortunes of President Bola Tinubu.
Olawunmi in a statemrnt made available to PLATFORM TIMES on Monday, argued that whether Tinubu wins or loses the 2027 presidential election, the outcome must not be interpreted as a victory or defeat for the Yoruba people.
He maintained that Tinubu’s administration should be judged as a government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not as a collective political project of the Yoruba.
The professor, who made the submission while reflecting on Nigeria’s political future, warned that the increasing tendency to ethnicise the Tinubu presidency could expose millions of Yoruba to collective blame for decisions they neither made nor controlled.
According to him, if Tinubu wins re-election, his administration’s policies and shortcomings could increasingly be portrayed as the collective actions of the Yoruba, while his defeat could equally trigger resentment from political interests that perceive his presidency as an ethnic conquest.
“Tinubu is a Yoruba man, but he is not the Yoruba nation,” Olawunmi declared.
He said the Yoruba must neither defend policies they considered detrimental simply because the President shared their ancestry nor accept responsibility for decisions over which ordinary Yoruba citizens had no control.
Olawunmi identified federal appointments as one of the issues capable of further deepening the ethnicisation of the administration.
He acknowledged that the Presidency had rejected allegations that its appointments violated the constitutional principle of federal character but said the political consequences of the controversy went beyond the legality of individual appointments.
According to him, the danger is that benefits perceived to be accruing to a small political network could eventually be interpreted as benefits accruing to the entire Yoruba race.
“Private advantage for a few can therefore become public danger for millions,” he warned.
He similarly argued that economic policies such as petrol subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms should not be regarded as Yoruba policies merely because the President is Yoruba.
While acknowledging that the reforms were presented as measures to address structural weaknesses in the economy, Olawunmi said their implementation had subjected households and businesses to considerable economic pressure.
Whatever the merits or shortcomings of the policies, he said, they remained decisions of the Federal Government and should be assessed on their impact rather than ethnic identity.
Olawunmi warned against turning the 2027 presidential election into a referendum on whether the Yoruba are safe or politically secure only when a Yoruba occupies the Presidency.
He said such a situation would expose the weakness of Nigeria’s federal structure and deepen ethnic divisions.
“If the political safety of the Yoruba rises when one Yoruba candidate wins and falls when he loses, then the federation has failed to create equal citizenship,” he said.
“Presidency is temporary. Nationhood is intergenerational.”
The retired naval officer also criticised aspects of Nigeria’s federal arrangement, arguing that the structure often makes it difficult to establish clear lines of accountability.
He cited the recurring blame directed at state governments over insecurity despite the dominant federal control of the police and questioned a revenue-sharing system which, in his view, could weaken the connection between taxation, performance and accountability.
He argued that such an arrangement allows different levels of government to shift responsibility whenever citizens demand explanations for failures.
Beyond the 2027 election, Olawunmi advocated a serious and structured conversation on Yoruba self-determination.
He argued that the Yoruba constitute a historic national community with a shared linguistic and cultural heritage, territorial base, major urban centres, educational institutions, commercial networks and a long history of organised political authority.
He, however, stressed that the demand should not be interpreted as a call for Yoruba superiority or hostility towards other Nigerians.
Rather, he described self-determination as a question of accountable government and the right of a people to determine their political future through democratic consent.
“A sovereign Yoruba state would place final political responsibility closer to the people who must live with its consequences,” he argued.
Such an arrangement, he said, could give the Yoruba greater control over security, economic planning, education, public administration and other areas of governance.
Olawunmi also cited the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election as a lesson for the Yoruba and Nigeria as a whole.
He noted that the election, won by the late MKO Abiola, demonstrated that a Yoruba candidate could command broad support across ethnic, regional and religious lines.
However, he said the annulment equally showed that electoral victory alone could not guarantee the protection of a people’s political interests where institutions were weak.
He warned that the experience should not be used to promote permanent hostility against other ethnic groups but should encourage the Yoruba to reconsider whether participation in Nigeria’s federal political contest alone was sufficient to protect their long-term interests.
Olawunmi proposed the establishment of a representative Yoruba self-determination congress involving the six South-West states, Yoruba communities outside the region and diverse segments of society.
He listed women, youths, traditional rulers, professionals, organised labour, businesses, religious bodies and non-Yoruba residents of the region among those who should be represented.
He said such a body must operate transparently and should not become the property of any individual or organisation claiming permanent authority to speak for the Yoruba.
He further called for an authorised referendum on the constitutional future of the Yoruba people, insisting that any such exercise must have clearly defined rules concerning the electorate, territory, voting process and dispute resolution.
According to him, support for independence should not be determined by political rallies, social media campaigns or unverified opinion polls but by a verifiable democratic mandate.
The professor acknowledged that Nigeria’s Constitution currently declares the federation indivisible and does not provide a straightforward procedure for unilateral secession.
He also noted that although international law recognises self-determination, it does not automatically grant every national group an unrestricted right to secede from an existing sovereign state.
He therefore advocated a peaceful, democratic and negotiated process.
Olawunmi urged proponents of self-determination to engage the National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly and other Nigerians, noting that constitutional alteration under Section 9 of the Constitution would require extensive political and legislative engagement.
He also advocated arrangements that would guarantee continued trade, transit, security cooperation and protection for citizens living on either side of any eventual political boundary.
The retired naval officer was emphatic that any Yoruba self-determination movement must be non-violent.
He rejected the establishment of an armed wing, ethnic intimidation or attacks against Nigerians living in Yorubaland.
“A movement claiming freedom must demonstrate in its conduct that it can be trusted with power,” he said.
He urged Yoruba politicians seeking elective office to clearly state their positions on self-determination and, where they support it, pursue the objective through lawful political and legislative channels.
Olawunmi stressed that his intervention should not be interpreted either as a campaign to rescue Tinubu politically or an attempt to punish him.
He said the Yoruba question must be considered beyond Tinubu and the 2027 election.
According to him, Tinubu will eventually leave office either after losing an election or completing his constitutional tenure, while the Yoruba people will remain.
He therefore urged Yoruba leaders to stop building their collective political strategy around access to the Presidency.
He also called on Tinubu to recognise the danger of allowing federal power to become identified with his personal or ethnic political network.
The President, he said, should uphold federal character, protect competitive democracy and treat peaceful advocacy for self-determination as a political issue requiring dialogue rather than repression.
Olawunmi warned that suppressing the demand could strengthen rather than eliminate the argument for a different political arrangement.
The professor said the Yoruba should not wait for another political crisis before beginning the process of organising around their political future.
He maintained that the objective should be pursued through consent, law, negotiation and peaceful coexistence.
“The time to establish a democratic mandate is before the next crisis, while dialogue remains possible,” he said.
Olawunmi said the Yoruba could pursue self-determination without embracing hostility towards Nigeria or other nationalities, stressing that any future arrangement should be based on mutual respect, continued friendship and economic cooperation.
He concluded that the future of the Yoruba should not depend on whoever occupies Aso Rock.
“Tinubu will one day leave office, whether through election or the completion of his constitutional tenure. The Yoruba people will remain,” he said.
“Their future must be secured by institutions and democratic consent, not by the uncertain protection of one presidency.”
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
