Former presidential political advisor Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has discussed the difficulties Nigeria’s opposition faces in assembling a coalition to take on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the run-up to the 2027 elections.
Baba-Ahmed clarified during an interview that there might be significant obstacles to the coalition’s attempt to form a new party, the All Democratic Alliance (ADA). He pointed out that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hasn’t registered a new party in years and isn’t likely to pick out this application just because it includes well-known figures. He asserted that if INEC gave the ADA’s registration priority, it would run the danger of coming seen as biased.
Real progress is being hampered by a lack of internal trust, conflicting goals, and the wrong people leading the opposition, Baba-Ahmed underlined. “I said”
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We don’t have mutual trust. The important players are not united. This effort to create an alternative to the APC is being led by the wrong people. Nigerians want a leadership that is credible, new, and visionary, not rehashed politicians.
Baba-Ahmed gave the following explanation for his departure from government service:
“I entered with the intention of fixing the nation, but I ended up having nothing worthwhile to accomplish. Technocratic recommendations were not well received by the administration. Instead of sitting around doing nothing, I decided to go.
He urged a generational shift and the involvement of young, vibrant Nigerians with new ideas, emphasizing that the opposition must rise above personal ambition. Baba-Amed cautioned:
“Without a genuine alternative and credible leadership, the opposition risks handing over 2027 to Tinubu on a platter.”
Finally, he cited historical coalitions that span Nigeria’s regions to refute the notion that coalitions only form when a southerner is in power.
