Ex-Arewa Leader Who Recently Dumped Tinubu's Govt Knocks Atiku, El-Rufai's Coalition

• Former President Bola Tinubu's aide, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has criticised the coalition movement being led by former VP Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai
• Baba-Ahmed, in a recent interview, explained that the current leaders in the coalition movement are not different from those in the ruling APC
• Recall that Baba-Ahmed served as aide at the office of Vice President Kashim Shettima before resigning, and he was the former spokesperson of the NEF

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former presidential aide who recently resigned from President Bola Tinubu's administration and the former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has criticised the coalition movement championed by opposition leaders.

The coalition recently moved to register a new political party, the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 election with the view to sacking President Tinubu in the poll.

Who are the leaders of the coalition movement?

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the immediate past Governor Nasir El-Rufai are taking the front seat in the coalition movement.

However, Baba-Ahmed, in an interview on an Arise TV programme on Monday morning, June 23, expressed concern about the chances of the coalition movement to build strong opposition against Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general election.

The former presidential aide noted that the political figures in the coalition are prioritising their personal ambition against collective progress. His statement partly reads:

“There are divisions among coalition members.”

2027 election: What coalition movement needs

He added that none of the leaders should be in the position of determining who should be in the coalition movement. He stressed that a coalition only needed a generational shift, while urging Atiku, El-Rufai and others to work behind the scenes.

Baba-Ahmed further added:

“Different kinds of Nigerians who can give Nigerians hope, than people who have become vice-president and contested three times, become governors and ministers.”

When did Baba-Ahmed resign from Tinubu's govt?

Baba-Ahmed served as special adviser on political matters to Vice President Kashim Shettima before resigning from Tinubu's administration.

The former northern leader has represented the presidency at several public events in the last 17 months. One of his recent representations of the presidency was the national conference theme: “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity”. This was held on January 28 and 29, 2025, in Abuja.

Criticism against Baba-Ahmed as Tinubu's appointee

The appointment of Baba-Ahmed to the presidency had drawn criticism at some points. One such criticism came from Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence.

In April 2024, the minister appeared to have taken a swipe at Baba-Ahmed when he emphasised that northern appointees in Tinubu's administration must not remain silent amid intimidation or misrepresentation of the current government.

Matawalle's comment followed Baba-Ahmed's criticism of the minister's description of the northern elders forum as a "political paperweight". The minister's position was a response to the group's statement that the north had made a mistake for voting for Tinubu in the 2023 election.

Tinubu approved appointments for Shettima

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu had approved the appointment of 18 aides to the office of the vice president.

According to a statement from the office of the vice president, the appointments were to actualise the agenda of the federal government across all sectors.

Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed that the appointments included six special advisers and 12 senior special assistants.

Source: Legit.ng