Look At Goodluck Jonathan, They Chased Him Out of Aso Rock, Killed The Constitution Report- Olawunmi

According to a report by Nigerian Tribune on Sunday, October 4, 2026, Retired Naval Commodore and former Deputy Director of Defence Administration at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Professor Kunle Olawunmi, has spoken about Nigeria’s governance challenges, constitutional limitations and the possibility of achieving self-government for the Yoruba people.

Olawunmi, a Professor of International Relations, Diplomacy and Strategic Studies, made his position known in an interview with PHILIP IBITOYE, where he also examined the political implications of having Yoruba leaders at the highest level of government.

Responding to questions about the possibility of achieving Yoruba self-government under Nigeria’s present constitutional arrangement, Olawunmi expressed frustration with the political leadership that has emerged from the Yoruba ethnic group.

He recalled the administrations of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and incumbent President Bola Tinubu, arguing that the conduct of leaders from the region had contributed to what he described as damage to the image of the Yoruba people.

According to him, “We had Obasanjo, who is a Yoruba man; you saw how he behaved. Now another Yoruba man, so, I am saying that we are just tired of this, kind of Yoruba people emerging as our leaders, and they have destroyed our image.”

He stressed that the actions of individual political leaders should not be interpreted as a reflection of the values of the wider Yoruba population.

“Yorubas are not like this. This is not who we are. How did we get to this point?” he asked.

Olawunmi also argued that achieving meaningful constitutional reform would be difficult under the current political structure because amendments require support from the National Assembly as well as state Houses of Assembly.

He explained that the political composition of the federal legislature could make the process particularly challenging, claiming that northern interests have significant influence in Abuja.

“So, for me, if you want to talk about the constitution, you can’t change this constitution. You know why? You need the legislative arms and their goodwill at the National Assembly and the state assemblies,” he said.

The retired military officer further stated that he understands the constitutional amendment process but remains doubtful that major changes would receive the necessary political backing.

“I know the process. The Abuja section is Fulani-Hausa/Northern-heavy, they will not allow it to go through,” he stated.

Olawunmi cited the administration of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as an example of how previous constitutional reform efforts had failed to produce lasting changes.

He recalled that Jonathan established a national constitutional conference, which produced recommendations and a white paper after significant government resources had been committed to the exercise.

“Look at what Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the former president, did. He set up a Constitutional Conference; they did it, spent a lot of money, and came up with a white paper,” Olawunmi said.

However, he argued that the process was eventually abandoned after Jonathan left office, claiming that political developments at the time prevented the recommendations from being implemented.

“Then he left — they basically hushed him out of government and killed the report,” he added.

Olawunmi also referred to the controversial political atmosphere surrounding Jonathan’s 2015 re-election campaign, when inflammatory rhetoric was used by some political actors.

“They said the blood of the baboons will do something, and basically they chased him out of Aso Rock,” he stated.

He further claimed that the succeeding administration under former President Muhammadu Buhari did not revive the recommendations produced by the constitutional conference.

“And when they got to Aso Rock, Buhari killed the report,” Olawunmi concluded.

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