Tinubu Will Remain Unpopular Until His Reforms Deliver Results – Shehu Sani

Former Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will remain unpopular among Nigerians until the impact of his policies begins to yield positive results. Speaking during an interview on Channels TV’s *Politics Today*, Sani noted that the President is consciously taking on unpopular decisions with long-term national interests in mind.

Sani praised Tinubu for allowing freedom of expression even from critics within his own region, pointing out that this marks a shift from previous administrations. He reflected on his time in the Senate, recalling the resistance he faced from fellow northern senators when he spoke out about insecurity and social issues during the Buhari administration.

He said lawmakers from the North were expected to stay silent out of loyalty to a president from their region. “Any attempt by you to raise alarm on the killings in the North or poverty in the North, or the out-of-school children issue when Buhari was there, you would be reminded that you should not damage the image of the president because you come from that part of the country,” he said.

According to Sani, Tinubu is making a deliberate choice between short-term popularity and long-term national progress. “You either do two things: please people by doing what the people want, or to look at the future of the country where we are heading to and lose some popularity or votes for you to achieve it. Tinubu will continue to be unpopular until the results of the reform start coming out,” he added.