Governors Must Focus on Governance, Not Politics – Oluwafemi Backs Tinubu’s Call
…insists Nigeria must stop the lie
A development expert and President of Africa Development Studies Centre, ADSC, Sir Victor Oluwafemi has called on Nigerian Governors to face governance and leave political matters to leaders.
Oluwafemi made this disclosure in a statement on Wednesday declaring that: “President Bola TInubu has drawn the line by declaring that governors should face governance and leave political matters to leaders.
The seasoned development expert further explained that: “Nigeria’s political instability is not accidental. It is the consequence of a long-standing refusal to separate executive authority from political leadership.
“The Rivers State situation has merely exposed a problem that exists across the federation. In this context, the intervention by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not only timely but necessary, and it deserves national commendation.
“The President is reported to have made his position clearly known to all parties by stating that Nyesom Wike remains the political leader in Rivers State, while firmly directing that any impeachment plot against the sitting governor, Siminalayi Fubara, must stop immediately.
” This statement does two important things at once. It acknowledges political reality, and it protects constitutional order.
Nigeria has lacked this clarity for too long.
“Let us be honest with ourselves. Being elected governor does not automatically confer political leadership.
“A governor is the chief executive of a state, entrusted with governance, policy execution, and service delivery.
“Political leadership is a different concept entirely. It is built over time through party structures, political machinery, coalition control, succession planning, and influence that often transcends a single electoral cycle.
“In many Nigerian states, these two roles do not reside in the same individual, and stability only exists where this reality is accepted.
“Borno State is a clear example. While Babagana Zulum is the elected governor and the executive authority, no serious political decision of consequence in Borno can be taken without recourse to Kashim Shettima.
” The Vice President remains the political anchor of Borno politics. The governor governs, but political direction and structure remain firmly rooted elsewhere.
“Lagos State provides an even more widely accepted illustration. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is the governor and runs the executive machinery of Lagos.
“Yet it is universally acknowledged that the political direction, discipline, and strategic decisions that define Lagos politics are shaped by the enduring leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“This understanding has not weakened Lagos State. On the contrary, it has produced political stability, coherence, and continuity because roles are clearly defined and respected.
“Katsina State during the era of the late Muhammadu Buhari reinforces the same truth. Governors administered Katsina, but Buhari dictated the political tone of the state.
“No governor took core political decisions without reference to him. Governance continued smoothly because political reality was not denied.
“These examples reveal an uncomfortable but necessary truth Nigerian political parties must accept. In some states, the governor may indeed be the most powerful political actor.
“In other states, the governor is the product of a political structure built, financed, defended, and sustained by someone else. Where that is the case, it is dishonest and destabilising for a governor to emerge from that structure and then declare himself the unquestioned political leader simply because he now occupies office.
“If a political structure made you governor, office does not erase political lineage. Executive power does not cancel political reality.
” When governors attempt to collapse political leadership into executive authority, the result is almost always confrontational, legislative sabotage, betrayal, and governance paralysis.
“This pattern has repeated itself across Nigeria, and the consequences are well known.
“Political parties must therefore stop misleading the public by proclaiming governors as automatic political leaders in all circumstances.
“A governor is the executive. Nothing more, nothing less. Political leadership is separate, contextual, and rooted in structure and influence. Confusing the two is one of the primary reasons Nigeria continues to experience unnecessary political crises and democratic instability.
“President Tinubu’s intervention in Rivers State deserves commendation because it restores this long-ignored distinction.
“By making his position known to both parties, he has reaffirmed political truth while drawing a firm red line against the weaponisation of impeachment. This is statesmanship. This is political maturity. This is leadership.
This statement is issued by Sir Victor Walsh Oluwafemi, KJW, international development expert, reputation architecture builder, and President of the Africa Development Studies Centre. It reflects a long-standing position grounded in governance reform, political stability, and institutional integrity across Africa and beyond. Nigeria must stop confusing titles with authority, and power with legitimacy. Governors must govern. Political leaders must lead politically. Democracy only stabilises when each understands and respects their lane.
