Hakeem Baba-Ahmed urges Tinubu, Atiku to step aside for 2027, warns of ADC fracture

A former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has stated that both President Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar should not contest the 2027 presidential election, arguing that Nigeria urgently requires fresh leadership.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Baba-Ahmed asserted that both men have a responsibility to allow Nigerians to choose from a new generation of leaders.

He contended that stepping aside would expand the political space and provide the country with a broader, better range of options.

Regarding President Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed argued that he may lack the capacity to govern beyond 2027 and should consider handing over to a younger, healthier, and more governance-focused individual after his first term.

He expressed a similar view about Atiku Abubakar, insisting the former vice president also owes the country the responsibility of not seeking the presidency again.

Separately, Baba-Ahmed commented on the upcoming convention of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), predicting that Atiku Abubakar is likely to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.

He warned that this outcome could trigger a mass exodus of members who would feel sidelined, stating, “ADC will bleed after its convention.”

He also discussed former Anambra State governor Peter Obi’s position within the ADC, suggesting that Obi’s expectation of being anointed as a consensus candidate clashes with the competitive dynamics of a party primary, where multiple high-profile figures have competing ambitions.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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