2027 Election: Coalition Tackles Hakeem Baba-Ahmed Over Call on Atiku to Step Aside
- Omoluabi Coalition criticised Hakeem Baba-Ahmed for urging Atiku Abubakar to step aside from the 2027 race
- The group questioned Baba-Ahmed’s silence on Tinubu’s administration while attacking opposition figures
- Coalition defended the right of all regions and political supporters to freely advance leadership ambitions
The Omoluabi Coalition has strongly criticised Hakeem Baba-Ahmed over his repeated calls on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, describing his interventions as partisan and calculated to weaken Nigeria’s opposition ahead of the next general election.
In a statement cited by Legit.ng, issued on Friday, January 23, and signed by its Convener, Olumide Obayemi, the Coalition said Baba-Ahmed’s posture was “duplicitous” and inconsistent with democratic principles, insisting that the decision to seek elective office is a personal and constitutional right.
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According to the group, such decisions should be guided by political realities and the will of the people, not by what it described as the preferences of “self-appointed gatekeepers”.
Silence on government failures raises questions
The Coalition expressed concern that since Baba-Ahmed’s widely publicised exit from President Bola Tinubu’s administration, he has avoided substantive criticism of a government it said has overseen worsening economic hardship and social dislocation.
Instead, it alleged that Baba-Ahmed has focused his public commentary on attacking opposition figures and parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress (ADC), thereby raising questions about his true political loyalties.
“It is both ironic and revealing that a man who claims non-partisanship has found nothing fundamentally wrong with an administration that has wrecked livelihoods, but finds endless fault with an opposition seeking to rescue the country," the statement said
Coalition defends right to political advocacy
The group also described as intellectually dishonest Baba-Ahmed’s attempts to dismiss debates around zoning, succession, and leadership aspirations, especially his perceived hostility toward voices from the South-East.
It stressed that Nigerians from all regions, including supporters of Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have the right to articulate political demands and canvass positions within the bounds of democracy.
“No individual certainly not Hakeem Baba-Ahmed—has the moral or democratic authority to criminalise political demands simply because he disagrees with them,” the Coalition said.
“Supporters of Peter Obi are entitled to their views, just as supporters of Atiku Abubakar or any other aspirant are. Democracy does not require silence; it requires engagement.”
Allegations of stoking division within opposition
The Omoluabi Coalition accused Baba-Ahmed of deliberately fuelling internal tensions within the opposition in an attempt to fracture unity and hand an advantage to the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of 2027.
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“We therefore challenge Hakeem Baba-Ahmed to come clean,” the statement added. “Is he an independent voice, or a fifth columnist working, wittingly or unwittingly, for the re-election of President Tinubu?”
The group also said it was troubled by what it described as hostile public interventions by members of Baba-Ahmed’s family against Peter Obi, claiming this had deepened suspicions of a coordinated effort to sow discord among opposition ranks.
Call on Nigerians to reject division
Concluding its statement, the Coalition urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and reject narratives that distract from holding the current administration accountable.
“Nigeria has endured enough,” it said. “Any so-called analyst who spends this critical moment attacking the prospects of opposition success—rather than interrogating the failures of a collapsing administration—stands exposed as an agent of the status quo.”
The Coalition called on opposition stakeholders to prioritise unity and constructive engagement as the 2027 elections draw closer.
2027: Atiku seeks electoral reforms
Previously, Legit.ng reported that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Senate to urgently amend the Electoral Act.
He warned that unresolved loopholes in the law could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
Source: Legit.ng
