Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late General Sani Abacha and 2023 presidential candidate of the Action Alliance, has firmly condemned recent agitations for a military coup in Nigeria, asserting that such calls are misplaced and outdated.
In a press briefing held on Wednesday, Al-Mustapha stressed that military intervention has no place in Nigeria’s political landscape, advocating instead for a tailored democratic system that aligns with Nigeria’s unique cultural and historical context.
Speaking on the ongoing hardship faced by Nigerians due to the federal government’s removal of the fuel subsidy, Al-Mustapha emphasized that democracy is the future for Nigeria. He advised that those advocating for a military takeover should redirect their efforts towards supporting military subordination to democracy.
“I am by definition today, a politician, I am looking at this country today from a democratic sense. We have invested in it and we are investing in it. Our researches are all towards the investment of democratic excellence in Nigeria,” Al-Mustapha stated.
Al-Mustapha criticized Nigeria’s adoption of foreign political systems, advocating for a domestic democratic model that reflects Nigeria’s unique needs and history. He argued that both the parliamentary and presidential systems, modeled after the United Kingdom and the United States respectively, are ill-suited for Nigeria.
“We copied the parliamentary system, we changed it to the presidential system! All the two are strange to our culture, to our history, to our background, to our understanding as a people. How can you bring the same system and adopt it as yours? It would not work, it would be repulsive,” he said.
