2027: 'Step Aside' - Baba-Ahmed Tells Tinubu, Atiku
Last update: January 21, 2026
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Baba-Ahmed urges President Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to step aside from the 2027 presidential race...
A former Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has called on both Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to refrain from contesting the 2027 presidential election, arguing that Nigeria urgently needs fresh leadership.
Baba-Ahmed made the remarks on Tuesday while appearing on Politics Today on Channels Television, stating that the nation would benefit from a new generation of leaders.
He stressed that stepping aside would allow Nigerians a broader and better range of leadership options.
He noted that President Tinubu may lack the capacity to govern beyond 2027, having completed a four-year term by then.
According to Baba-Ahmed, the country should instead be handed over to someone younger, healthier, and more focused on governance.
CBI News reports that Baba-Ahmed expressed a similar view about Atiku, insisting that the former vice president also owes the nation the responsibility of not seeking the presidency again.
He said: “I had an interview here where I said that if I had my way, two people would not run in 2027. They will not run at all. They are President Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. They have a really good chance of giving Nigerians a choice to pick the best candidate.
“The reason why President Tinubu shouldn’t run, I think, is that he has run out of steam. I don’t think that he has the capacity to continue to govern this country beyond 2027. I’m speaking honestly, without any prejudice to him. I think he’s fulfilled his ambition and become president of this country. By 2027, he would have served four years. It would have been the best time for President Tinubu to say, ‘I need a younger person. I need a healthier person. I need somebody who is more focused on governance.’
“And for Vice President Atiku, the same thing. They really owe this country the responsibility to say, ‘We don’t have to be presidents in 2027.’ The country needs fresh blood. The country needs a new lease of life.”
