Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu, has said the most significant contribution former Vice President Atiku Abubakar could make to Nigeria is to step aside and abandon any intention to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Baba-Ahmed, a former spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, made the remarks during an appearance on Arise News Television’s programme, The Morning Show, on Thursday.
He argued that Atiku’s decision not to run in 2027 would send a strong message to Nigerians that a new political culture is possible, instead of recycling familiar political figures.
“And of all those things, it has to be something that Atiku could do. One of them is not to keep insisting that he has to run. And I will give you my reasons,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed added that Atiku stepping aside would be a decisive move entirely within the former vice president’s control and could reshape opposition politics ahead of the next general election.
While urging Atiku to reconsider his presidential ambition, Baba-Ahmed also described the former vice president as the most qualified candidate among the Allied Democratic Congress aspirants to emerge through the party’s convention.
He said Atiku’s experience, national spread, strong structures, and loyal support base place him above other contenders within the ADC.
“Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has the experience, the spread, better structures, and more loyal people, and he understands the mechanics of internal party dynamics better than the others. The ADC’s ticket is up for grabs, but it will be a very difficult task for anybody to get it other than Atiku Abubakar,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also criticised calls for the party’s ticket to be reserved for a particular individual, describing such demands as contrary to democratic principles.
“Those saying the ticket must be given to a particular individual are going against democratic processes,” he said.
Despite highlighting Atiku’s advantage within the party, Baba-Ahmed urged the former vice president to reconsider his presidential ambition.
“The most important thing that ADC can do, and the single most important commitment that Atiku can make to this country after all his years of labour and striving to build the democratic process in this country, is to decide not to run for president in 2027.
“You’ve got to do something that is so dramatically outside the box that Nigerians can sit up and say, ah, these are not just another recycled politician trying to replace Tinubu,” he added.
Baba-Ahmed’s comments add to the ongoing debate about the future direction of the opposition and the possibility of fresh leadership in Nigeria’s political landscape as the 2027 election approaches.
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