Nigeria May Disintegrate Before 2027 Without Restructure – Says Ex-Minister Nwodo

Former Minister of Information and ex-President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, has issued a stark warning that Nigeria risks disintegration before the 2027 general elections if urgent steps are not taken to restructure the country’s governance framework.

Nwodo made the declaration while delivering a keynote lecture titled “How Did We Get Here?” during the public presentation of two books authored by veteran journalist Ike Abonyi on Wednesday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

Describing the current system as a unitary constitution masquerading as federalism, Nwodo said the centralised model of governance had failed to address Nigeria’s deep-rooted structural and economic issues.

“Nigeria must restructure and give its component units sovereignty over their natural resources, provided they pay royalties or taxes to the Federal Government to fund responsibilities such as external defense, foreign missions, customs, and immigration,” Nwodo said.

He stressed that only through true federalism — including devolution of powers, fiscal autonomy, and resource control — could the country achieve sustainable peace and development.

Sounding a note of caution, the elder statesman warned that failure to implement restructuring ahead of the 2027 polls could lead to a constitutional crisis.

“If it does not happen, we will have no alternative but to go our separate ways,” he declared, adding that some regions might boycott the elections or reject their outcomes.

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Nwodo also painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s socio-economic conditions, citing high youth unemployment, widespread poverty, and collapsing infrastructure as symptoms of a failing state.

He referenced the UN World Population Prospects 2025 report, which ranked Nigeria’s life expectancy the lowest globally at 54.8 years.

He also cited World Bank data showing the country loses over $1 billion annually due to poor road networks.

Also speaking at the event, former PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, accused President Bola Tinubu of presiding over the gradual liquidation of both democracy and the economy.

“We are still far from achieving true democracy. What we have is merely a platform for winning elections,” Secondus stated.

“Nigeria is drifting toward collapse, and President Tinubu is presiding over it.”

He also criticised political parties for lacking ideology and long-term vision, comparing them unfavourably with South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC), which he described as a model of institutional consistency.

Among the dignitaries present at the event were Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi; PDP chieftain Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, represented by Emmanuel Agbo, DG of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

Although Obi made no public remarks, his presence at the event stirred speculation over potential political realignments ahead of 2027.