Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) national chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has claimed that former President Muhammadu Buhari had reservations about Bola Tinubu becoming Nigeria’s president ahead of the 2023 general election.
Baba-Ahmed said Buhari resisted pressure from some political figures who insisted that Tinubu should emerge as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate.
He made the remarks at a summit organised by the Northern Elders Forum, in a video published on Symfoni’s YouTube channel on Saturday via Cable.
“Even Buhari saw Tinubu as bad news for this country. In fairness to him, he is not around him. Buhari resisted some people who insisted it had to be Tinubu,” the PRP chairman said.
He also questioned Nigerians’ response to Tinubu’s presidential ambition, particularly his campaign slogan, “Emilokan”, a Yoruba expression meaning “it is my turn”.
“Nigerians ought to have known there was something wrong the day Tinubu said ‘It’s my turn’. Maybe we missed it,” he said.
“We have a presidency of a country of 250 million people. My turn? To do what? To become president.”
Baba-Ahmed accused Tinubu’s administration of worsening Nigeria’s economic difficulties and failing across key areas of governance.
He described the administration as one marked by abuse, neglect and plunder, arguing that the country’s interests should take precedence over an individual’s political ambition.
“Every index of failure shows in this administration,” he said.
The PRP chairman also criticised northern governors for allegedly failing to communicate the extent of public dissatisfaction with the administration to the president.
Despite his criticism, Baba-Ahmed expressed confidence that Nigerians would overcome the country’s challenges. He urged opposition politicians to set aside their differences and unite behind a common political objective ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He said opposition parties are working to build a coalition capable of challenging Tinubu at the polls.
“What we have seen is an incredible willingness for politicians to come together and say, let’s put aside some of our differences and see if we can actually create a momentum strong enough to remove this Tinubu,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed urged Nigerians to support whoever emerges as the coalition’s presidential candidate and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the 2027 election reflects voters’ will.
