Former President Muhammadu Buhari was reluctant to support President Bola Tinubu’s emergence as his successor in 2023 because he considered his presidency potentially harmful to Nigeria, the National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has claimed.
Baba-Ahmed made the allegation while speaking at a summit organised by the Northern Elders Forum, where he criticised the Tinubu administration over the country’s economic challenges and called on opposition parties to unite ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, Buhari resisted pressure from some political associates who insisted that Tinubu should succeed him after the completion of his eight-year tenure.
“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.
He also questioned Tinubu’s presidential ambition, particularly his adoption of the popular Yoruba expression “Emilokan”, meaning “It is my turn”, during the build-up to the 2023 general election.
The PRP chairman argued that the presidency should be regarded as a responsibility to serve Nigerians rather than an entitlement to be pursued by an individual.
“Nigerians ought to have known there was something wrong the day Tinubu said, ‘It’s my turn’. Maybe we missed it,” he said.
“We have a presidency of a country of 250 million people. My turn? To do what? To become president?” he added.
Baba-Ahmed, who previously served in the Tinubu administration as Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of the Vice President, accused the current government of worsening the country’s difficulties.
He alleged that Nigeria had experienced significant deterioration under Tinubu’s leadership, insisting that the situation required urgent political intervention.
“Every index of failure shows in this administration,” he said, while accusing the President of prioritising his political ambition over the welfare of Nigerians.
Baba-Ahmed also criticised Tinubu for allegedly relying on political associates to promote his re-election ambition rather than personally appealing to Nigerians for another term.
He further faulted northern governors for failing to adequately communicate the economic difficulties and growing dissatisfaction among residents of their states to the President.
Despite his criticism of the administration, the PRP chairman expressed confidence that Nigeria would overcome its present challenges, noting that the country had survived difficult periods in the past.
On the 2027 presidential election, Baba-Ahmed disclosed that opposition parties were working towards forming a coalition to challenge Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He described the proposed alliance as an effort by opposition politicians to set aside their differences and build a united front capable of competing against the incumbent President.
Baba-Ahmed said the coalition would produce a presidential candidate and urged Nigerians opposed to Tinubu’s re-election to support whoever emerges as its flag-bearer.
However, his claim about Buhari’s private position on Tinubu’s presidency remains an allegation attributed to Baba-Ahmed. Buhari’s public conduct during the 2023 election included congratulating Tinubu after his victory in the APC presidential primary and supporting the party’s eventual candidate.
