Abandon Your Presidential Ambition Now – Baba-Ahmed Tells Atiku

• Warns 2nd term for Tinubu will be ‘grave mistake’
• Wants older generation politicians to retire

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – With former Vice President Atiku Abubakar still mute about his plans for 2027 presidential election, former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, says backing a new generation leadership to emerge should his utmost concern going forward.

Pointedly urging Atiku to abandon his long-standing ambition of becoming Nigeria’s president, Baba-Ahmed said adopting an elder statesman-like role would be most appropriate in the current circumstance.

Atiku was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023. He has not ruled out taking another shot in 2027, having so far contested the presidency six times.

But Baba-Ahmed described such ambition as a distraction and tasked the Waziri Adamawa to focus his energy and resources on raising and supporting a new generation of leaders.

Similarly, Baba-Ahmed, who recently resigned as Political Adviser to the President in the Office of the Vice President, also urged President Bola Tinubu to have a rethink on his second-term bid in 2027 for the love of Nigeria.

In an open letter to President Bola Tinubu on 23 April, he said the president should forgo a second-term bid, warning that seeking re-election would be “a grave mistake” given the nation’s political and economic state.

He urged Tinubu to step aside for “a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas.”

Speaking during a Channels Television interview on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed said Atiku should fully step into the shoes of an elder statesman, saying; “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 the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could be competitive in the 2027 presidential election if a younger and visionary candidate is brought forward.

“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 said, stressing that regional origins should no longer dominate political considerations.

For him; “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.”

On his reasons for quitting the Tinubu’s administration, he says having taken the appointment out of patriotism, rather than political allegiance, disillusionment quickly set in.

Hear him; “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 criticised.

“I left because I didn’t see the fire, the commitment, the zeal to fix the country. Instead, things got worse.”

He disclosed that the official title notwithstanding, 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.”

While echoing the content of his open letter: “Mr President, please don’t run again in 2027″, Baba-Ahmed said what has been happening does not inspire hope, adding; “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.”

On speculations about friction between President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, the former NEF Spokesperson said; “There’s synergy between them. Shettima didn’t appear sidelined. But to be honest, I didn’t see much of either men.”

About habouring any regrets joining the Tinubu-led administration, the one-time Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said; “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.”

Also addressing issues around the North, political ‘refugee camps’, and the APC, Baba-Ahmed admitted that northern Nigeria is in severe distress, plagued by poverty, insecurity, unemployment, and a drug crisis.

Having no kind words for political leaders, especially those from the North, he also accused politicians of turning the APC into a “political refugee camp”, claiming that “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 insisted that the EFCC lacks independence and that the current wave of defections is driven more by political survival than conviction.

Further arguing that the Tinubu-led administration is falling short of expectations, he said; “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.”

The retired Civil Servant, while insisting that things have further deteriorated under the Tinubu presidency compared to Buhari’s tenure, said; “Go to Niger, Plateau, Benue, more blood is being shed now than two years ago. Yet, they release statistics claiming there’s less violence.”

Clearly embittered by the internecine bloodletting across the country, he queried; “Who gives them these numbers? Do they even know how Nigerians are living?”

On the way forward for Nigeria, he proposed that Nigeria’s political veterans should step aside and allow the younger, and more service-oriented generation to emerge.

“All these people, the best service they can render to this country is to retire themselves,” he said, warning that “If they don’t, then Nigerians should retire them.”

These latest comments by Baba-Ahmed are coming amid wide-spread speculations over his unexpected resignation as a Political Adviser to Vice President Kashim Shettima, earlier this year. Appointed in June 2023, his decision to join the Tinubu administration surprised many, given his prior criticism of the APC and the eight years of Buhari’s presidency.