NEWS
“Even Buhari Saw Tinubu as Bad News for This Country“ — PRP National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed Alleges, Backs Opposition Coalition for 2027
The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has alleged that former President Muhammadu Buhari had reservations about the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as his successor in 2023, claiming that Buhari believed a Tinubu presidency could have negative consequences for Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed made the allegation while speaking at a summit organised by the Northern Elders Forum, where he criticised Tinubu’s leadership, questioned the circumstances surrounding his emergence as president and called for a united opposition front ahead of the 2027 general election.
His comments were captured in a video published on Symfoni’s YouTube channel on Saturday, according to Politics Nigeria.
The PRP chairman revisited Tinubu’s famous declaration of “Emilokan”, a Yoruba expression meaning “it is my turn”, which became one of the defining political statements of the build-up to the 2023 presidential election. He argued that Nigerians should have examined the statement more critically at the time, particularly given the responsibility associated with governing a country with a population of more than 200 million people.
“Nigerians ought to have known there was something wrong the day Tinubu said ‘It’s my turn’. Maybe we missed it.
“We have a presidency of a country of 250 million people. My turn? To do what? To become president,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed maintained that the presidency should be viewed primarily as an opportunity to serve the people and address the country’s challenges, rather than as a personal ambition that must be fulfilled. He suggested that Tinubu’s declaration should have triggered a deeper national conversation about the purpose of political power, the expectations of Nigerians and the priorities of anyone seeking the nation’s highest office.
In one of the most striking aspects of his remarks, the opposition party leader alleged that Buhari was not convinced that Tinubu should succeed him, claiming that the former president resisted pressure from individuals who wanted the former Lagos State governor to emerge as the next president.
“Even Buhari saw Tinubu as bad news for this country. In fairness to him, he is not around him. Buhari resisted some people who insisted it had to be Tinubu,” Baba-Ahmed said.
However, the PRP chairman did not identify the individuals he claimed had pressured Buhari or provide further details to substantiate the allegation about the former president’s position. The claim was presented as Baba-Ahmed’s account of the political developments surrounding the 2023 succession process.
Tinubu eventually emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the party’s presidential primary in 2022. He subsequently won the February 2023 presidential election and was inaugurated on May 29, 2023, succeeding Buhari, who had completed two terms in office.
Since taking office, Tinubu has implemented major economic reforms, most notably the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to Nigeria’s foreign exchange management framework. His administration has consistently defended the measures as necessary steps to reduce fiscal pressures, address structural economic weaknesses and establish a more sustainable foundation for economic growth.
Nevertheless, the reforms have generated widespread debate, with Nigerians facing concerns over inflation, transportation costs, food prices and the rising cost of living. The government’s supporters have argued that the measures are intended to correct longstanding economic distortions, while critics have questioned the pace of implementation and the extent to which the resulting hardship has been addressed.
Baba-Ahmed placed these economic concerns at the centre of his criticism, arguing that Nigerians had endured considerable hardship under the current administration and should not be expected to accept another four years without a thorough assessment of its performance.
“Now we are being depressed for having a president for three and a half years. He has dragged the country as low as it is possible to go. And it has to stop him. We cannot go below, beyond where we are,” he said.
He described Nigerians as resilient people who had survived previous national crises and expressed confidence that the country would overcome its present difficulties.
However, he warned that the population should not be expected to endure what he characterised as abuse, neglect and plunder indefinitely.
“We are very resilient people. We have seen crises bigger than this, and we survived it. We survived it, and we will survive this one.
“We will survive the four years of abuse, neglect, and plunder that Tinubu has caused because Nigeria has to survive for our children and their children,” Baba-Ahmed said.
The PRP chairman further argued that the future of Nigeria must take precedence over the political ambitions of any individual. He accused Tinubu of prioritising his desire to remain in office over the welfare of the population, insisting that no president should be allowed to pursue personal political objectives at the expense of the country.
“We will not allow a president to fulfil an ambition that one individual alone can wreck his country, just to prove that he has the power and the money to do so.
“We are at the bottom. There is no way to go anymore. Every index of failure shows in this administration,” he added.
His comments reflect the growing political debate over the performance of the Tinubu administration, the impact of its economic policies and the prospects for the 2027 presidential election. While opposition figures have intensified their criticism of the government, Tinubu and his supporters have continued to defend the administration’s reform agenda.
Baba-Ahmed also questioned the president’s approach to seeking another term, criticising what he described as reliance on political allies to promote his re-election ambition rather than personally explaining to Nigerians why he deserves another four years in office.
He also turned his attention to governors in Northern Nigeria, accusing them of failing to adequately communicate the scale of economic hardship and public dissatisfaction in their respective states to the president.
According to the PRP chairman, political leaders from the region should be more forthright in conveying the difficulties facing their constituents and explaining the potential political consequences of failing to respond effectively to their concerns.
He argued that the experiences of ordinary Nigerians should feature more prominently in discussions about governance, particularly as political parties and their leaders begin positioning themselves for the next general election.
Against this backdrop, Baba-Ahmed disclosed that opposition politicians were working towards building a coalition capable of challenging Tinubu in 2027. He described the discussions as a serious attempt to bring political actors together, pool their resources and set aside differences that could undermine their collective efforts.
“What we have seen is an incredible willingness for politicians to come together and say, let’s put aside some of our differences and see if we can actually create a momentum strong enough to remove this Tinubu,” he said.
The proposed coalition, as described by Baba-Ahmed, would seek to create a common political platform through which opposition parties and interested political figures could coordinate their activities and present a presidential candidate against the ruling APC in 2027.
He acknowledged that the coalition would eventually have to settle on a candidate and called on Nigerians opposed to Tinubu’s re-election to rally behind whoever emerges from the process.
“There will be a candidate that will be produced by this coalition. Vote for whoever he is,” he said.
The statement underscores the challenge facing opposition parties as they explore possible alliances ahead of the next presidential election. Any such arrangement would require negotiations over leadership, political interests, party structures, candidate selection and the broader strategy for competing against the ruling party.
Baba-Ahmed also emphasised the importance of electoral credibility, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the 2027 general election accurately reflects the choices of Nigerian voters.
He maintained that a transparent and credible electoral process would be central to determining the country’s political future, arguing that citizens must be able to express their preferences freely and have their votes properly reflected in the final results.
“INEC must guarantee that the 2027 elections will reflect the will of the people.
“If it does, and it must, because the consequences are almost clear, Tinubu is done,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed’s remarks add to the intensifying political discussions surrounding Tinubu’s administration and the preparations for the 2027 election. His criticism centres on the president’s economic record, the responsibilities of political leadership and the need for opposition parties to develop a coordinated strategy.
With the next presidential election approaching in the broader political calendar, the strength of opposition cooperation, the ruling party’s response to public concerns and INEC’s ability to conduct a credible election are likely to remain important issues in Nigeria’s unfolding political debate.
The allegations concerning Buhari’s reported reservations, however, remain claims made by Baba-Ahmed in his address and should be distinguished from independently established facts about the former president’s private views or the decisions that shaped the APC’s 2023 succession process.