A former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has called on Bola Tinubu to relinquish his 2027 re-election ambition and instead pave the way for a younger, more energetic candidate from within the ruling party.
Baba-Ahmed, who resigned as Special Adviser on Political Affairs to the Vice-President office in April, made the remarks during an interview. He noted that despite Bola Tinubu’s reputation for political strategy and influence in the country’s politics, his administration has however not demonstrated the urgency or focus required to address Nigeria’s deepening challenges amid rising cost of living and insecurity.
“I’m sorry, but I have to say this again. When I left his administration, one of the things I told many people was, ‘I wish Tinubu would not run again in 2027,’” he said.
According to him, Tinubu’s long-held ambition of becoming president, which he declared with his famous “emi lokan” statement, has now been fulfilled, but his performance in office has not met expectations.
“The Tinubu we used to know, the Tinubu with all this brilliant intelligence for scheming, hasn’t shown that same hunger to fix things,” he added.
Baba-Ahmed urged the president to identify and groom a more vibrant successor who embodies focus, health, and capacity to lead, insisting that the APC has enough political capital and influence to rally support behind a suitable candidate.
“He should find a replacement within his party, a younger person, a healthier person, a more focused person, and make him his candidate,” he said. “If he can run this government, get all these people out of the PDP to come and join him; he has amongst every power that he needs, but he’s not running the country.”
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