Hakeem Baba-Ahmed to Tinubu: Step aside in 2027 — you’re running an insular government

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has asked President Bola Tinubu to step aside in 2027 for a new generation of leaders. 

Baba-Ahmed, a former spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), recently resigned as special adviser on political affairs in the office of the vice-president.

In an open letter to the president on Wednesday, Baba-Ahmed urged Tinubu to shelve his re-election bid.

“Step aside — not for your opponents, but for a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas,” he wrote.

“Our generation has done its time. It would be a masterstroke if you and your party yielded the field to new voices and new leadership.

“That way, you could catalyse a peaceful, historic transformation and inspire a new political culture rooted in merit, unity, and progress.”

Baba-Ahmed said the president must reflect on how he wants to be remembered.

“You hold what your opposition lacks: the power to reduce the harshness of life for the average Nigerian,” he said.

“Use it well. Watch 2027, yes — but don’t become consumed by it.”

He acknowledged that the administration inherited an ailing economy and a fatigued populace but faulted Tinubu’s “inability” to turn inauguration goodwill into “effective leadership”.

The ex-NEF spokesperson said the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda is “a set of campaign promises, not a coherent governance plan”.

He added that more than half of Tinubu’s cabinet “has no business managing an administration tasked with improving security, livelihoods, or public trust”.

‘THE NORTH DRIFTING AWAY’

Baba-Ahmed, who said he never met Tinubu during his 18-month stint in the presidency, warned against prioritising re-election over governance.

“Two years is a long time — you can still achieve much,” he said.

“But if you shift attention now to electoral ambitions, you risk losing both governance momentum and public goodwill.

“If you win again without reforming your style and strategy, you may spend four more years preserving failure. If you lose, your legacy could be wiped out in an instant.”

He said Nigerians across the regions are dissatisfied with the Tinubu government.

“The north is drifting from your leadership under the weight of economic hardship, insecurity, and alienation,” Baba-Ahmed said.

“The east remains politically disengaged, while the south-south is fragmented. The south-west has been lukewarm, and its privileged position may become a burden. The north-east is deeply wounded and can no longer be taken for granted.”

He said the administration should focus on addressing the country’s most pressing problems.

He described Tinubu’s leadership as “disconnected and exclusive”.

“Your closed-door style of leadership, your apparent indifference to complaints of ethnic bias in appointments, and the perception that you frequently run the country from abroad while attending to personal matters have created the image of an isolated leader heading an insular administration,” he added.

“Your inner and secondary circles do not reflect the discipline or inspiration necessary to transform Nigeria.”

He said the government lacks a clear communication strategy.

“You needed a strong engagement strategy — one capable of building national consensus or at least neutralising hostility,” he said.

“Instead, you’ve appointed a crowd of spokespersons who often confuse rather than clarify your policies.”

Baba-Ahmed recently said the north would unveil its position on the 2027 presidency in the next six months.

“We know nobody will become president without the north,” he had stated.