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By Myke Agunwa
Former spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has advised former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and other older politicians to take the back seat for the mega national coalition to attract committed Nigerians with new ideas that will oust President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Though the former Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Political Matters did not specifically mentioned their names, he noted that for the coalition to gather the desired steam, there must be a strategic shift to “different kinds of Nigerians who can give Nigerians hope, than people who have become vice-president and contested three times, become governors and ministers”.
Baba- Ahmed who gave the hint during an interaction with journalists on Monday in Abuja, raised concern that the opportunity to build a strong opposition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is being undermined by entrenched political figures in the coalition that prioritize their personal ambitions over collective progress.
He highlighted a deep division within the coalition, attributing it to a dysfunctional leadership unwilling to relinquish control.
“There are divisions among coalition members. None of these people should lead or be seen in a position that they are determining who should be in that coalition.
“They can work behind the scenes. What they need is a generational shift and a political shift away from who they are, what they have done, and what they want to do.
“Different kinds of Nigerians who can give Nigerians hope, than people who have become vice-president and contested three times, become governors and ministers.”
Baba-Ahmed added that a broad spectrum of Nigerians are skeptical of the current leadership of the coalition and about their ability to offer a genuine alternative to the President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“They don’t have faith that you actually represent a different future from this government, you just want to replace the government of President Tinubu,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He stressed on the need for the coalition to showcase fresh ideas and elevate young Nigerians who embody energy and new perspectives to drive the process and become its face.
Baba-Ahmed was skeptical about the coalition leadership, suggesting that without a fundamental change in leadership and vision, the opposition risks repeating the failures of the ruling party.
Recall that prominent oppositions politicians led by former President of the Senate David Mark, former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi had applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking to register All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as a political party ahead of the 2027 general election.
As a part of the coalition strategy to present a cohesive alternative to the APC, the ADA signals the beginning of what could become a fiercely electoral battles in the next general election.