Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu in the Office of the Vice President, has urged Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso not to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Baba-Ahmed, a prominent Northern elder and spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), said Obi of the Labour Party and Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) should step aside alongside President Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, arguing that their “generation” has “nothing more to offer” Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview on Trust TV, Baba-Ahmed stated:
“Peter Obi and Kwankwaso should also step aside for the younger generation, alongside President Tinubu and Atiku. This particular generation has played itself out — they really have nothing more to offer this country.”
He criticized the recurring pattern of “winner-takes-all” politics and questioned the ability of aging politicians to meet the country’s growing demands.
“We are going through the same politics again, filled with bitterness and desperation. When they get into power, they don’t have the energy or the strength to tackle the country’s problems.”
Baba-Ahmed said it was unrealistic to expect these political figures to voluntarily step aside out of patriotism, but stressed the need for a new political direction:
“I don’t expect them to all go into a room and say, ‘Let’s step down for Nigeria.’ Their patriotism isn’t that deep. But this country needs a new lease of life. I don’t see a bright future for Nigeria under these tired, elderly politicians who’ve spent the last 20 to 30 years simply managing power.”
He also criticized the idea that every president must serve two terms, calling it a dangerous and baseless expectation embedded in modern Nigerian politics.
“One of the distractions in our politics is this idea that once you become president, you must serve two terms. Who said that? When the NEF realized that Buhari wasn’t performing, we rallied other groups — Ohanaeze, Afenifere, and others — and publicly said he didn’t deserve a second term. And we were right.”
Baba-Ahmed lamented what he described as “crude politics” where regional entitlement overrides national performance and capability:
“Now it’s all about, ‘The South must do eight years because Buhari did.’ Even if a president can’t perform, or is too old or ill, must he remain in office just to complete a regional rotation? This kind of thinking is killing the country.”
