‘How did he contest?’ — Femi Kuti asks why Tinubu was allowed to run in 2023

Afrobeat musician and social critic Femi Kuti has argued that President Bola Tinubu should not bear sole responsibility for Nigeria’s current crises, placing equal blame on the political system and Nigerians who allowed him to contest the 2023 presidential election despite long-standing controversies.

Speaking on Good News Naija, Kuti said: “If all what they are saying is true, how did he contest? If we have men and women of calibre and integrity, he wouldn’t have been able to contest in the first place.”

According to Sahara Reporters, the musician also highlighted what he described as elite continuity, noting that Nuhu Ribadu — once removed as EFCC chairman under Obasanjo — now serves as Tinubu’s National Security Adviser. “It is the same people. They go to the same parties, they hug themselves, they do everything together,” he said.

Kuti warned that systemic failure risks destroying young Nigerians’ belief in their country’s future.