K Steamer Will be the 6th Prime Minister to Leave Office in UK in 10 Years: A Perfect Example for President Bola Tinubu/APC
By Abbati Bako,psc,bsis,Alumnus University of Kent,UK and Global Political Strategist/ Analyst and Communications Expert
The UK and Nigeria both run presidential/parliamentary democracies. But in 10 years, the UK has had 6 PMs walk out of 10 Downing Street. Nigeria has had 3 Presidents in 16 years, with power rarely changing hands peacefully within a party.
The point: Democratic strength isn’t measured by how long one man stays. It’s measured by how easily a leader can leave after giving his positive contributions to the nation.
2. Comparative Breakdown: UK vs Nigeria
Dimension in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. Lesson for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC:
Leadership Turnover 6 PMs since 2014, Cameron → May → Johnson → Truss → Sunak → Starmer.
Power transfers without tanks on streets. The 3 Presidents since 2010: Jonathan → Buhari → Tinubu. Intra-party transfer = rare. Exit often = political death. Institutions > Individuals. UK PMs leave, but 10 Downing Street stands. Nigeria needs institutions stronger than any President.
Exit Mechanism:
Vote of no confidence, party pressure, poor polls, scandal. Liz Truss: 44 days and gone. Accountability is fast. Impeachment = nearly impossible. “Do-or-die” politics. Leaders cling because exit = prosecution/exile. Safe exit = stable democracy. If Tinubu builds systems where successors don’t jail predecessors, turnover becomes normal, not war.
Party Power:
Conservative & Labour both produce + remove PMs. Party > Person. Rishi Sunak replaced Johnson without a national crisis. Parties are voter vehicles for one man.
APC/PDP = Tinubu’s party, Atiku’s party. Remove the man, the party collapses. Build a party, not a cult. Tinubu’s legacy = whether APC survives him, or dies with him like a militia.
Public Accountability PM faces PMQs weekly. 6 PMs = 6 verdicts from Parliament + voters. Presidential media chats = rare. National Assembly = rubber stamp perception. Accountability = election day only
Routine scrutiny prevents democratic siege. Hence, Bola Tinubu should institutionalize regular, brutal questioning, not just elections every 4 years.
Democratic Norm:
Losing power is normal. Cameron lost Brexit, resigned. Truss lost market trust, resigned in 44 days. Losing power = existential threat. We must win or Nigeria dies. Normalize loss. Until Nigerian politicians can lose and go home to farm, democracy stays under siege.
The Catchy Classical Frame for Tinubu
Cicero vs Caesar UK shows Cicero’s Rome:
leaders come and go, but the Senate remains.
Nigeria risks Caesar’s Rome: one man becomes the state, and when he falls, the republic bleeds.
Kemi Badenoch/K Steamer as #6 PM in 10 years isn’t chaos. It’s proof the system works.
Tinubu’s test isn’t whether he stays 8 years in power. It’s whether Nigeria can change Presidents in 2027 or 2031 without a crisis.
Britain has had 6 Prime Ministers in 10 years and its democracy grew stronger. Nigeria has feared 3 Presidents in 16 years and its democracy bleeds. Mr. President, the example is clear: strong institutions let leaders leave, weak ones force them to cling.
In the UK, losing power is Tuesday. In Nigeria, it’s treated like death. Britain has had 6 Prime Ministers in 10 years and its democracy grew stronger. Nigeria has feared 3 Presidents in 16 years and its democracy bleeds. Strong institutions let leaders leave. Weak ones force them to cling.
Abbati Bako, abbatibako@gmail.com