Opposition Coalition Lacks Vision, Not Different from APC — Hakeem Baba-Ahmed

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has criticised the emerging coalition of opposition leaders seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, describing them as divided and no better than the current government.

Speaking on The Morning Show on Arise Television, Baba-Ahmed said entrenched figures like former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai—who are leading the coalition movement—are prioritising personal ambition over national interest.

“There are divisions among coalition members,” he said. “None of these people should lead or be seen in a position that they are determining who should be in that coalition.”

The coalition leaders have applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as a political party ahead of the 2027 elections.

Baba-Ahmed, who previously served as a special adviser to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, argued that Nigerians are disillusioned with the opposition because it lacks fresh faces and bold ideas.

“They don’t have faith that you actually represent a different future from this government, you just want to replace the government of President Tinubu,” he said.

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“What they need is a generational shift and a political shift away from who they are, what they have done, and what they want to do.”

He insisted that the opposition’s credibility hinges on showcasing “different kinds of Nigerians who can give Nigerians hope, than people who have become vice-president and contested three times, become governors and ministers.”