The beauty of a democratically elected government is the freedom of speech that comes with the package.

In a democracy, any one with a mouth can mouth off and drop ceaseless soundbites on the government of the day.

While this freedom is not to be abused, it is imperative – for the polity of any country – for there to be a community of critics who dissect, analyse and discuss the policies of the government constructively.

However, even as freedom of speech is guaranteed in a democracy, some entities might abuse it or even go overboard with their criticism.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has spent a calendar year in office following its inauguration on May 29, 2015.

While some Nigerians believe and trust in him to deliver the dividends of democracy, some maintain that he’s unfit for the job.

Here are 7 of President Buhari’s worst critics.

Governor Ayodele Fayose

The governor of Ekiti state is one individual who constantly remains in the spotlight for his incessant criticism of the president. Fayose made his disdain for President Buhari known even before he won the 2015 election with a brazenly uncouth advertorial predicting Buhari’s death.

In the build-up to the commemoration of Buhari’s fist calendar year in power, Fayose described the duration as a colossal waste while highlighting the supposed failures of the president.

The PDP chieftain, among others, has repeatedly accused the president of fighting a one-sided war against corruption as well as being dictatorial in his administration of the country.

 

Femi Fani-Kayode

Femi Fani-Kayode, who worked in the re-election campaign of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, is a staunch critic of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Fani-Kayode has on several occasions castigated the president for his lack of action against the rampaging Fulani herdsmen who have been clashing with farmers and their host communities across the nation.

The former Aviation Minister has also accused the President of persecuting his political opponents with his war against corruption as well as being a tyrant in democratic robes.

Fani-Kayode is currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for his role in an alleged illegal withdrawal of N2.5 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

 

Ben Murray Bruce

Ben is the senator representing Bayelsa East constituency in Bayelsa state.

He is also the owner of the Silverbird group, a giant media company with roots across major cities of the nation. Ben Bruce, unlike Fayose and Fani-Kayode applies tact and subtlety in his criticism of the Buhari-led government.

Famously know as the Twitter Senator, Ben Bruce most times takes to the social media platform, to voice his dissenting views of the policies of the government in power.

He focuses more on the promises made by the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress during the election and how the party has continually failed to live up to them.

 

The Peoples Democratic Party

As the biggest opposition party in the country, it goes without saying that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should lead the pack of the government’s critics.

PDP relinquished its 16 year hold on the federal government to APC back in May 2015 and has since then assumed the role of a vocal opposition.

However, with the prosecution of some of their big wigs and party chieftains as well as the tussle for the office of the party’s national chairman, the PDP has had more to deal with and appears to be lagging behind in its business of critically and objectively appraising the ruling government.

The PDP has on several occasions accused the president of driving the economy of the country aground, ignoring the rule of law and persecuting its members unjustly.

 

Nnamdi Kanu

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu earned himself a spot in the order of the worst critics of President Buhari in the last one year.

Nnamdi Kanu, a British citizen is the founder of Radio Biafra, a radio station that preaches the need for the secession of the South East from Nigeria with the purpose of the establishment of the Republic of Biafra.

Kanu got himself into the President’s bad books with his constant violent calls and rhetoric against the government.

Nnamdi Kanu, through his radio has called President Buhari all sorts of derogatory names while even wishing death on him.

While the other critics approach their talking points from a political point of view, Nnamdi Kanu employed insulting and inciting tactics against the president.

He was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services in December, 2015 and has since remained in the custody of the government.

His group, IPOB however, has continued the bashing of the president at any given opportunity.

 

Femi Aribisala

Femi Aribisala is a scholar, international affairs expert as well as an iconoclast pastor in a church in Lagos.

A popular writer, Aribisala has at no point hidden his disdain for the policies of the Buhari-led administration.

Right from the conclusion of the election that Buhari won, Aribisala had declared his lack of faith in the competence of the new government. He has also at numerous times lampooned the President for the history of dictatorship which follows him like a tail.

Aribisala, howbeit very controversial, once wrote a scathing article titled ‘A compendium of Buhari, APC’s textbook of cluelessness’.”

 

Reno Omokri

Reno hosts Transformations With Reno Omokri, a Christian teaching TV show broadcast on San Francisco’s KTLN and he’s also the author of the books, Shunpiking: No Shortcuts to God, and Why Jesus Wept.

Apart from being an author, Reno was a spokesperson for President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria until May 29, 2015 when President Buhari took over the reins of the country.

Reno Omokri has on several occasions – usually through his Twitter page – chided President Buhari for using his former boss, Jonathan as an excuse for his failures and inability to live up to the expectations of his government.