APM Chairman calls for end to Winner-Takes-All politics in Nigeria

Michael Olumide

National Chairman, Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, has identified vote buying as one of the greatest threats confronting Nigeria’s democracy, warning that the practice continues to undermine electoral integrity and weaken governance outcomes across the country.

Speaking during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme aired on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, Dantalle urged Nigerians to reject electoral inducements and make informed choices at the ballot box, regardless of financial temptations offered by politicians.

“Elect who you want. Reject a peanut or that evil called vote buying,” he declared.
In a remark that reflected the realities of electioneering in Nigeria, Dantalle added: “If they give you and you are forced to take, take, but do what is right.”

The APM chairman used the opportunity to assess President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as it enters its third year in office, while also examining the broader socio-economic and political challenges facing the country.

Tinubu’s reforms are well-intentioned but citizens are still suffering

Dantalle expressed sympathy for President Tinubu, acknowledging that the administration inherited deep-rooted structural challenges and has attempted significant reforms aimed at repositioning the economy.

“I sympathise with the president. He is doing his best to fix Nigeria,” he said.
However, he maintained that despite the government’s efforts, many Nigerians continue to endure severe economic hardship.

“Nigerians are suffering in a very terrible way today,” he lamented.

According to him, the removal of fuel subsidy was a necessary policy decision designed to curb corruption and free up resources for developmental projects.

“When the president came on board, the first thing he did was to remove our oil subsidies. The idea was to reinvest that money into infrastructure and other salient sectors of our socio-economic life,” Dantalle explained.

He noted, however, that many Nigerians have yet to experience the expected benefits of the policy.

“But unfortunately, that is not happening,” he stated.

While acknowledging reports of increased government revenue and reduced borrowing, the IPAC chairman insisted that the true measure of any policy lies in its impact on citizens.

“Is it reflective of the life of the people? You and I know that it’s not,” he said.

Governance must deliver tangible results

Drawing an analogy with household management, Dantalle argued that leadership success depends not only on policy direction but also on effective implementation.

“I’ve sent people, I’ve delegated them, go do A, B, C, but what they have done is it reflective of the life of the people? It’s not,” he remarked.

He stressed that governance must translate into visible improvements in living standards, noting that citizens judge governments based on outcomes rather than policy intentions.

Economic hardship driving insecurity

Dantalle linked Nigeria’s worsening insecurity to growing economic distress and social exclusion.

Referencing sociologist Robert Merton’s strain theory, he argued that when legitimate opportunities become inaccessible, individuals often seek alternative means of survival.

“When you see growth in criminality, there is a remote cause,” he explained.
He outlined various societal responses to systemic failures, including conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion, noting that criminal activities often emerge from what Merton described as “innovation.”

“That innovation is what you see at Yahoo, you see at kidnapping, you see at so many social ills,” he said.

While commending ongoing road construction projects under the Tinubu administration and the efforts of the Minister of Works, Dantalle maintained that the scale of hardship facing ordinary Nigerians remains alarming.

“I commend the president and the Minister of Works. I see a lot of road infrastructure going on. But the average life of Nigerians is beyond the reach of the common man,” he stated.

He warned that worsening living conditions continue to fuel insecurity across the country.

“Because of this, insecurity is increasing,” he added.

‘Reset Nigeria’ Beyond Economic Policies
Asked whether an APM-led government would reverse major reforms such as subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, Dantalle said the party’s vision goes beyond simply reversing policies.

“The APM, my presidential candidate, said we will reset Nigeria,” he stated.

According to him, the proposed reset agenda involves a comprehensive review of the nation’s values, institutions and governance culture.

“We have to look at the entire value system,” he said.

He identified corruption, social inequality, weak institutions and moral decline as some of the foundational problems that require urgent attention.

Dantalle lamented what he described as a growing acceptance of unexplained wealth and illicit enrichment within society.

“The system that you can make money without a conventional source of income,” he said, describing it as a dangerous cultural shift that undermines national development.

Calls for equal justice and value reorientation

The APM chairman also criticised what he described as unequal treatment within Nigeria’s justice system.

“The treatment that goes to the man who is a VIP and the man who is a common man is not the same,” he argued.

He further expressed concern over the state of education and moral development, linking societal breakdown to rising levels of violence, kidnapping and destruction of public assets.

“What kind of education do we have that killing ourselves has become a norm?” he asked.

Dantalle called for a renewed emphasis on patriotism and national identity, warning that the growing desire among young Nigerians to emigrate reflects deeper failures within the system.

“It has become a pride that you secure a visa to go abroad. It is an aberration,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to embrace locally driven solutions rather than depending on external interventions.

“We must domesticate the solution to our problem,” he stressed.

End Winner-Takes-All politics

The IPAC chairman also advocated for more inclusive governance and greater collaboration among political actors.

“We must learn to avoid the politics of winner takes all and loser loses all,” he said.

According to him, democracy would be strengthened if opposition voices and electoral losers were incorporated into governance discussions and national development efforts.

Callers demand accountability

During the programme’s interactive segment, callers raised concerns about insecurity, accountability and governance failures.

One caller commended Dantalle’s remarks and urged opposition parties to work together to address the country’s security challenges.

Another caller questioned accountability in public office and referenced allegations involving political figures and public finance management.

Responding, Dantalle reaffirmed his confidence in Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, whom he described as the APM’s preferred presidential candidate.

“If anybody will be sincere, you know the situation of Oyo State before his emergence,” he said.

According to Dantalle, Makinde has demonstrated practical leadership through infrastructure development and people-centred governance.

“If you juxtapose pre-Seyi Makinde and Seyi Makinde’s tenure, you will know if he is capable of replicating the same thing across board,” he said.

He described the governor as youthful, passionate and committed to improving citizens’ welfare.

“He is people-oriented. Whatever he does is about the people,” Dantalle stated.

Revealing details of a personal conversation with the governor, he added, “He told me personally that it is not about him as Seyi Makinde. It is about the people.”

Nigeria’s future depends on inclusion

Dantalle concluded by arguing that insecurity, poverty and social instability are products of long-standing neglect and exclusion.

“What you are seeing today is insecurity. It is a product of neglect. It is a product of exclusion,” he said.

He maintained that restoring citizens’ sense of ownership in the Nigerian project remains essential to national development.

“If Nigerians are made to believe they own Nigeria, nobody would want to destroy what belongs to them,” he said.

The APM chairman reaffirmed the party’s commitment to what he described as a “national reset agenda” focused on rebuilding institutions, restoring public trust, promoting inclusive governance and strengthening democratic participation ahead of future elections.