Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, national chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), has claimed that former President Muhammadu Buhari considered President Bola Tinubu’s emergence as Nigeria’s leader a bad development for the country and resisted pressure from some political figures who wanted Tinubu to succeed him in 2023. Baba-Ahmed made the claim while speaking at a summit organised by the Northern Elders Forum.
Baba-Ahmed also criticised Tinubu’s famous “Emilokan” declaration, meaning “it is my turn”, during the build-up to the 2023 presidential election. He argued that Nigerians should have questioned the statement at the time, asking why the presidency of a country with such a large population should be treated as an individual’s turn.
The PRP chairman further accused Tinubu’s administration of worsening the country’s condition, alleging that the government had failed across key indicators of national development. He also faulted the President for relying on political allies to campaign for his re-election instead of personally appealing to Nigerians for another mandate.
Looking ahead to the 2027 election, Baba-Ahmed said opposition parties were working towards a coalition to challenge Tinubu and urged Nigerians opposed to the President’s re-election bid to support whoever emerges as the coalition’s candidate.
