Prominent Northern elder, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has criticised ongoing efforts to form a political coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing the moves as disappointing, self-serving, and lacking national vision.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News, Baba-Ahmed distanced himself from the discussions, stating that he was not involved at any level of the negotiations.
“Let me be fair and say that I’m not involved at all, at any level, in the coalition discussions,” he said. “I’m just an observer who is watching with a lot of worry that an opportunity to create a strong opposition to the ruling party is being messed up by people who insist that they must be the face of that opposition.”

Baba-Ahmed, who is a key figure in the Northern Elders Forum, argued that the political figures championing the coalition have failed to inspire hope or offer a compelling alternative to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“These are people who have been governors, vice-presidents, ministers, some of them have contested three times for president,” he said. “Now they are telling Nigerians, ‘trust us again.’ But Nigerians can see through that. They don’t represent a different future.”
According to him, the main flaw in the coalition effort is that the same old politicians are attempting to dictate the terms and structure, rather than allowing new and credible Nigerians to take the lead.

“It’s the wrong approach. They meet, agree among themselves, and say, ‘We’ve decided this one will be this, and that one will be that.’ Then they invite Nigerians in. That’s not how to build a credible opposition,” he said.

Calling for a generational and political shift, Baba-Ahmed insisted that none of the current crop of political heavyweights should be seen leading or dictating the path of any opposition movement.

“What they need is a complete departure from who they are, what they’ve done, and what they still represent,” he declared. “They can work behind the scenes, but new faces must emerge to give Nigerians real hope.”

He also questioned the absence of a clear vision, lamenting that current coalition promoters have failed to articulate how they intend to do things differently if voted into power.

“Where is the vision? Where are the younger Nigerians who should be leading this country? Where is the concern that violence is destroying our communities?” he asked. “Politics should be about the people, not just about getting rid of President Tinubu.”

He warned that if opposition politicians fail to present a coherent, people-focused alternative, they risk handing over power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) once again in 2027.

“What they’re doing is simply handing over the country back to a president they claim they want to defeat,” he said.