The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman for the North East, Mustapha Salihu, has offered a defense of President Bola Tinubu’s administration while drawing comparisons to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure during a recent television appearance.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV from 4:47, Salihu emphasized the importance of political structures over individual personalities in electoral success.
“First of all, I want us to understand what wins elections is not just personality but also structure,” Salihu stated. “And politically, in every historical epoch, we have what you call the war horses and we have the show horses.”
The APC chieftain acknowledged Jonathan’s personal qualities, describing the former president in favorable terms. “Personality-wise, former President Goodluck Jonathan is a gentleman to the core, a very, very nice person who is also a very patriotic statesman,” Salihu said. “Yes, this is what we have to agree with.”
However, Salihu drew a distinction between personal character and administrative performance, suggesting that President Tinubu has demonstrated superior results despite facing significant challenges.
“But when it comes to performance, you can see the gap between the six years of Jonathan in office and two years of Tinubu, despite the fact that we inherited what seems to be insurmountable security and economic problems,” he explained. “A lot of things are stabilizing, and within these two years, the results are visible both in terms of security and in terms of economy.”
The comments reflect ongoing political discourse about the comparative performance of Nigeria’s recent administrations, with party officials highlighting what they view as improvements under the current government.
