June 23, (THEWILL) – The former Spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has faulted ongoing efforts to form a political coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Baba-Ahmed, who appeared on Arise TV’s ‘Morning Show’ on Monday, spoke against the backdrop of opposition leaders who applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as a political party ahead of the 2027 general election.
Baba-Ahmed dismissed the claim that northern politicians were behind the alliance.
“There are southerners involved in this talk about coalitions, too. You know, Governor Amaechi is there, and the former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, is there. There are a lot of people from the southern part of the country. They love the South, too; they don’t want to be second to the North. They are there. It’s not every time that when a Southerner is there, there have always been talks about coalitions”, he said.
He expressed concern that the opportunity to build a strong opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is being undermined by entrenched political figures prioritising their personal ambitions over collective progress.
“There are divisions among coalition members. None of these people should lead or be seen in a position where they are determining who should be in that coalition.
“They can work behind the scenes. 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.
“Nigeria needs different kinds of Nigerians who can give Nigerians hope, rather than people who have become vice president and contested three times, become governors and ministers.
“They (Nigerians) don’t have faith that you actually represent a different future from this government. You just want to replace the government of President Tinubu,” Baba-Ahmed said.
Recalling how the coalition that defeated Jonathan’s government was formed, Baba-Ahmed said President Tinubu, a southerner, was instrumental in its formation.
“We formed a coalition in 2011/2012 with a southerner. His name is President Tinubu now. He gave us his bit of Nigeria, and we formed a coalition between the AD and the CPC, and we created the APC. It’s not a new thing. There have always been coalitions”, he recalled.
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