Politician and former governorship candidate, Tonye Princewill, has called for a radical restructuring of Nigeria’s political leadership, stating that only a “benevolent dictator” can rescue the country from its systemic decay.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, Princewill said Nigeria’s problems were deeply rooted in its dysfunctional structure and leadership model, not merely in the personalities occupying public offices.
“The only way we can truly get this country out is we need a changing system. There has to be some kind of a benevolent dictator, someone who is at the top of the chain, but cares about the people and is genuinely interested in moving the country forward. And to do that, sometimes you have to be really strong,” he stated.
Princewill criticised the state of governance in the country, declaring,
“Of course I am. I’m unhappy with it. Yes. But you know, like I said, it’s a systemic problem. Whoever is going to be president tomorrow will have to deal with some of these same issues.”
He argued that Nigeria’s history of failed leadership cannot be blamed solely on individuals.
“Yes, people might have challenges with Tinubu. That’s understandable. That’s acceptable. But can we ask ourselves some very basic questions? Does the system actually work? Is our problem the president? Is our problem not the system?”
On political reforms, Princewill dismissed recent efforts by new political coalitions as superficial, particularly criticising the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition.
“In the absence of an ideal, what you have is individuals who are coming together to take power. And if they seize power, there’s no guarantee that it will not be business as usual,” he said. “My movie-making experience tells me that it will make a very good script, but I’m not sure that it will make a very good country.”
While admitting that the coalition could pose a threat to the ruling APC in the 2027 elections, he warned that winning alone is not enough,
“There’s every chance that ADC can actually win the next election. It’s not impossible. But for you to defeat APC, you’d have to come with more than what I’ve seen.”
He also weighed in on the situation in Rivers State, describing the emergency measures taken by the president as necessary under the circumstances.
“We had a situation where the political class was completely unable to come to a resolution. And what was going to happen was going to be chaos, nothing short of that.”
Despite being away from the media spotlight, Princewill stressed that he has not exited the political arena.
“I’ve always said that politics is too important to be left to politicians. So I’ve been there, I’ve been in the sidelines.”
With a strong critique of the political establishment and a call for deeper systemic reforms, Princewill underscored the need for leaders who are not only visionary but also firm enough to enforce real change.
“You need a strong leader who leads by example. You can set the stage. And you need to have consequences for bad behavior,” he said, adding that unless Nigeria confronts its structural failures, “it’s going to be business as usual, and I will be having none of it.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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