Former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to drop his ambition of becoming Nigeria’s president henceforth. Baba-Ahmed, an erstwhile Political Adviser to the President in the Office of the Vice President, is of the opinion that Atiku—who has contested the presidency six times—should instead focus on supporting a new generation of leaders that will borrow from his blue print to salvage the country forward.
Also in his open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu on 23 April, Baba-Ahmed had advised the president to shove his ambition for a second-term bid in 2027, insisting that doing so would be “a grave mistake” given the nation’s current political and economic under his watch.
According to Baba Ahmed, Tinubu just like Atiku should step aside for “a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas.”
During an interview on Channels Television on Thursday if he would direct a similar appeal to Atiku, Baba-Ahmed said he would advise him to adopt a more elder statesman-like role.
“If I had the chance, I’d tell Atiku the same thing. He’s done his bit. He’s been persistent. But now, he should play a fatherly role—help identify and support younger leaders,” he said.
Baba Ahmed believed that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stands a greater chance to be more competitive in the 2027 presidential election if it fields a younger, visionary candidate.
He explained, “If they present someone younger, with fewer skeletons, better health and fresh ideas, they could wipe the floor with the APC. This country is hungry for leadership with vision and empathy”.
He stressed that regional origins should no longer be a yard-stick for political considerations if Nigeria should move to the destination of its forefathers.
“It doesn’t matter where the person comes from. At this point, anyone still talking about North or South is missing the point. We need competence and vision.”
Not Only Atiku, Obi, others Too must retire—or be retired
Although Baba-Ahmed has expressed doubts about whether Atiku or Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would have done anything better than what the current Tinubu administration is doing because they had a similar manifesto’s.
On Obi, he said: “I really don’t know, to be honest. I know him personally. I think he has good ideas about a lot of things.”
However, for Atiku, he revealed that though the former vice president has far-reaching experience, but he is not convinced if he would have offered better governance.
According to Baba-Ahmed, Nigeria’s political veterans should step aside to allow a younger, more service-oriented generation to emerge in the 2027 general election.
“All these people—the best service they can render to this country is to retire themselves,” he said. “If they don’t, then Nigerians should retire them.”
He insisted that after trying so many short that turned out unsuccessful, Atiku might still be mulling throwing his hat into the ring which Baba Ahmed considered inappropriate.
“You’re letting the PDP fool you into thinking there’ll be an election next year. You’re falling into a trap. Focus on governance. You’ve got an uncompleted job to do,” he said.
Why I left Tinubu’s government
Commenting on why he dumped Tinubu cabinet, Baba-Ahmed’s said his decision to join the Tinubu administration had surprised many, given his prior criticism of the APC and the Buhari presidency.
He expressed that he took the role out of patriotism, not political allegiance or whatsoever.
“Working for this government—especially one that inherited a country as broken as the one Buhari left—was the most patriotic thing anyone could do. You couldn’t just turn your back when asked to help fix the damage you had so loudly criticized.”
He said “I left because I didn’t see the fire, the commitment, the zeal to fix the country. Instead, things got worse.”
Despite his official title, he said he had little real input in policymaking. “I was supposed to advise the president, working from the VP’s office. But I never got the opportunity. I didn’t even meet the president throughout my tenure.”
Baba Ahmed explained he turned down a chance to meet Tinubu, fearing he would have told him in person what he later wrote in his open letter: “Mr President, please don’t run again in 2027.”
Baba-Ahmed said he observed no friction between Tinubu and Shettima.
“There’s synergy between them. Shettima didn’t appear sidelined. But to be honest, I didn’t see much of either man.”
What he did see, he said, did not inspire hope.
“I joined to help fix a broken country. I left because I saw no serious effort to do so. I don’t regret going in. But I wouldn’t do it again.”
The North, political ‘refugee camps’, and the APC
Describing the state of the Northern Nigeria, Baba-Ahmed described it as being in severe distress—plagued by poverty, insecurity, unemployment, and a drug crisis. Yet, he accused politicians of turning the APC into a “political refugee camp.”
“People are defecting not because of ideology or policy, but to escape prosecution or secure power. They won’t write to the EFCC saying, ‘I’m joining APC to avoid prosecution,’ but that’s exactly what’s happening.”
He chided the EFCC of lacking independence linking it to the current wave of defections as been driven more by political survival than conviction.
‘Buhari didn’t represent the North—He was the worst president’
Commenting on the former President Muhammadu Buhari as represented the northern interests, Baba-Ahmed has a different view that Buhari was more interested in the title than in governing, describing his tenure as the worst in Nigeria’s history.
“He didn’t represent the North—he represented himself. We backed him in 2015 because he was the better option than Jonathan. We thought he’d be tough on corruption and could unify the country. But he turned out to be the opposite.”
Asked if Buhari’s was the worst government Nigeria has had, he responded: “From my experience—I’m 70 years old—yes. I haven’t seen a government that governed less, cared less for the poor, or failed more at setting priorities.”
“I was active in his campaign. I chaired his party in my state for four years. But months into his presidency, we saw he was more interested in being president than actually governing. We started with private advice, and then moved to public criticism when it became clear he wouldn’t listen.”
He reiterated that he has no regrets about joining Tinubu’s government.
“No, I don’t regret going in. But given the current trajectory, I wouldn’t do it again. I didn’t see the fire, the commitment, the zeal to fix a broken country. I saw more of a façade.”
He added that similar thing is happing now under the Tinubu government as it is falling short of expectations.
“Nigerians voted for Tinubu in 2023 hoping he’d fix the country. He removed subsidies and promised tough reforms, but he wasn’t truly prepared. His advisers are scrambling to fix problems after they emerge. There’s a major disconnect between rhetoric and reality.”
He concluded that things have worsened under Tinubu compared to Buhari.
“Go to Niger, Plateau, Benue—more blood is being shed now than two years ago. Yet, they release statistics claiming there’s less violence. Who gives them these numbers? Do they even know how Nigerians are living?” he queried.
