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Hakeem Baba Ahmed has called on President Bola Tinubu to step down in 2027, urging the president to pave the way for a younger generation of Nigerian leaders.

Baba Ahmed, who recently stepped down as special adviser on political affairs in the vice president’s office, issued this plea in an open letter published on Wednesday.

“Step aside, not for your opponents, but for a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas,” he wrote. “Our generation has done its time. It would be a masterstroke if you and your party yielded the field to new voices and new leadership. That way, you could catalyse a peaceful, historic transformation and inspire a new political culture rooted in merit, unity, and progress.”

He urged the president to think about his legacy and the authority he holds. “You hold what your opposition lacks: the power to reduce the harshness of life for the average Nigerian,” Baba Ahmed stated. “Use it well. Watch 2027, yes, but don’t become consumed by it.”

While recognizing that the administration inherited a struggling economy and an exhausted population, Baba Ahmed critiqued what he called Tinubu’s inability to transform early support into effective governance. “The Renewed Hope Agenda is a set of campaign promises, not a coherent governance plan,” he wrote. He further noted that “more than half” of the president’s cabinet “has no business managing an administration tasked with improving security, livelihoods, or public trust.”

Baba Ahmed also cautioned against prioritizing re-election over governance. “Two years is a long time, you can still achieve much. But if you shift attention now to electoral ambitions, you risk losing both governance momentum and public goodwill,” he said. “If you win again without reforming your style and strategy, you may spend four more years preserving failure. If you lose, your legacy could be wiped out in an instant.”

He pointed out growing national discontent. “The north is drifting from your leadership under the weight of economic hardship, insecurity, and alienation,” he said. “The east remains politically disengaged, while the south-south is fragmented. The south-west has been lukewarm, and its privileged position may become a burden. The north-east is deeply wounded and can no longer be taken for granted.”

Baba Ahmed, who disclosed he never met the president during his 18-month tenure in government, labeled Tinubu’s leadership as “disconnected and exclusive.”

“Your closed-door style of leadership, your apparent indifference to complaints of ethnic bias in appointments, and the perception that you frequently run the country from abroad while attending to personal matters have created the image of an isolated leader heading an insular administration,” he wrote. “Your inner and secondary circles do not reflect the discipline or inspiration necessary to transform Nigeria.”

He also slammed the administration’s communication strategy. “You needed a strong engagement strategy, one capable of building national consensus or at least neutralising hostility,” he said. “Instead, you’ve appointed a crowd of spokespersons who often confuse rather than clarify your policies.”

In a recent remark, Baba Ahmed indicated that the north would announce its position on the 2027 presidency within the next six months. “We know nobody will become president without the north,” he said.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli