Baba-Ahmed to Tinubu: Step Aside in 2027 for a Younger Successor

Former political adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has urged the President not to seek a second term in 2027, insisting that the administration has not shown the urgency or clarity needed to rescue Nigeria from its current economic woes.

Speaking yesterday on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Baba-Ahmed said President Tinubu appears more focused on “running an economy, not governing a country,” adding that the President has not demonstrated the drive associated with his earlier political reputation.

“When I left the administration, I told many people this: I wish President Tinubu would not run again in 2027,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed recalled Tinubu’s long-standing desire to become president, noting that having achieved that ambition, the President should now allow a younger, more energetic candidate to emerge under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to him, “He said ‘Emilokan’ and he had his turn. But I don’t think he has run the country well. The Tinubu we used to know—brilliant, strategic, hungry to deliver—has not shown that same hunger to fix things.”

The elder statesman argued that the President’s best contribution to the nation at this point would be to identify, groom, and support a younger, healthier, and more focused successor for 2027.

“He should find someone within his party—someone younger and more prepared for the task—and make him his candidate. He can do that,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed’s remarks come amid growing public scrutiny of the administration’s handling of the economy, rising living costs, and lingering security challenges.