Why Tinubu Should Not Seek Re-Election: Baba-Ahmed Drops Explosive Verdict On 2027

In what has become one of the most explosive political statements of the year, former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not seek re-election in 2027, insisting that the president has neither demonstrated urgency nor the capacity required to rescue Nigeria from its current decline.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television's Sunday Politics, Baba-Ahmed - who resigned as the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the Vice President earlier in April - stated bluntly that President Tinubu's performance falls far below the expectations many Nigerians had before he assumed office.

According to him, the Tinubu admired for his "brilliant political scheming and strategic intelligenceÔÇØ has not shown the same energy in governing the country. Instead, he argued, the presidency appears overwhelmed, while the nation struggles with deteriorating economic conditions, insecurity, institutional decay, and widespread citizens' dissatisfaction.

Baba-Ahmed emphasized that President Tinubu had already achieved his long-held ambition - becoming president - and therefore should allow a younger, healthier, and more focused candidate from the APC to take over in 2027.

He said:

"Tinubu said 'emi lokan' and he had his turn. But I don't think he has run the country well... The hunger to fix things is missing.ÔÇØ

He added that if the president cannot demonstrate the political drive required to manage the nation effectively, then he should back a more capable successor within the ruling party.

In an even more unsettling remark, Baba-Ahmed warned that Nigeria has deteriorated too severely for leadership complacency, arguing that the president's response to national emergencies and public outrage has been uninspiring.

"I didn't see a president responding to challenges with the urgency required... Nigeria has deteriorated so badly that we cannot continue to run things as if they are normal.ÔÇØ

These comments have intensified the national debate over 2027, raising questions about capacity, age, governance style, and whether the ruling APC may face internal pressure to present a new face for the next election.

As frustrations rise across the country, Baba-Ahmed's statement has added a fresh and controversial angle to what is already shaping up to be one of the most heated election cycles in Nigeria's recent history.