Former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will remain unpopular among Nigerians until the outcomes of his reforms begin to yield tangible, positive results.

Sani made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he spoke on the state of national discourse and political accountability.

He praised Tinubu for fostering an environment where even members of his region, the South West, feel free to criticise his administration, describing it as a ”shift from the political culture under former President Muhammadu Buhari.’ According to Sani, lawmakers and citizens during Buhari’s tenure faced pressure to remain silent on national issues if they hailed from the same region as the president.

“When I stood up in the parliament to speak about the insecurity in the North, I faced serious resistance from senators from the northern part of Nigeria,” Sani said. “You were expected to be quiet and embrace whatever it is because the president came from your region.”

He added that under Buhari’s leadership, any criticism regarding insecurity, poverty, or out-of-school children in the North was often viewed as disloyalty, rather than concern for national development.

In contrast, Sani said Tinubu has chosen a politically risky path by prioritising long-term reforms over immediate popularity. “Tinubu is embarking on a project he knows very well he will be unpopular. 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,” he said.

He concluded that Tinubu’s ‘’unpopularity” may persist until the public begins to see the benefits of the administration’s policies and reforms.