2027 Presidency: Peter Obi, Kwankwaso Should Not Run – Baba-Ahmed

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former Special Adviser to Vice President Kashim Shettima, has stated that former presidential candidates Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party should not contest in the 2027 presidential election. Speaking in an interview with Trust TV, Baba-Ahmed also included President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in his call for a generational shift in Nigeria’s leadership.

He argued that this group of seasoned politicians has little left to offer, asserting that they have exhausted their relevance and should make way for a younger generation of leaders. “Peter Obi, Kwankwaso should also step aside for the younger generation, alongside President Tinubu and Atiku,” he said. “This particular generation has played itself out. They really have nothing to offer this country.”

Baba-Ahmed criticized the prevailing political culture, which he described as dominated by bitterness and a winner-takes-all mentality. He said that many of these political figures, once in office, lack the strength and energy to effectively address the country’s pressing issues. He further expressed doubt that any of them would willingly step aside out of patriotic duty.

Calling for fresh leadership, he warned that Nigeria’s future appears bleak under what he referred to as “tired and elderly politicians” who have clung to power for decades. He questioned the expectation that every president must serve two terms, citing the case of former President Muhammadu Buhari. According to him, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) had opposed Buhari’s second term due to his underwhelming performance, a stance they made public in collaboration with groups such as Ohanaeze and Afenifere.

Baba-Ahmed condemned the regional and ethnic sentiments that have come to dominate political discourse, arguing that the idea of rotational eight-year terms has become a harmful convention. “Even if you can’t perform, what if you have health or age issues, must you remain president for eight years simply because you come from one part of the country?” he asked. “This is the kind of thinking that keeps us declining permanently,” he concluded.