Rabiu Kwankwaso (left), and Peter Obi
Former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu in the Office of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has advised former presidential candidates of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, and New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso to give way for younger Nigerians in 2027.
Baba-Ahmed said this in an interview with Trust TV. He had earlier given the same counsel to President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He said, “Peter Obi, Kwankwaso should also step aside for the younger generation, alongside President Tinubu and Atiku.
“This particular generation has played itself out, they really have nothing to offer this country. We are going through the same politics again, where there is bitterness and the winner takes it all, it has to be me at all costs, and when you get to power, you don’t have the energy and the strength to tackle the country.
“So long as it’s one of these guys, the rest will not step down, I don’t expect all of them to go into a room and say let’s all step down for Nigeria. I’m not sure their patriotism is that high for all of them to agree.
“The point I’m making is that the nation needs a new lease of life, I don’t see Nigeria with a bright future under these tired and elderly politicians who have spent the last 20 to 30 years just simply managing power.”
While maintaining that second tenure should not be automatic, he added: “One of the distracting things is this nonsense that once you are president, you must serve for two terms, who said that?
“When the NEF realized that Buhari was bad news for this country, he wasn’t performing and not willing to fix this country, we rallied other groups in the country.
“We met here in Abuja and told the nation that don’t trust Buhari with another four years, he will reach this country, and we were right. Ohanaeze, NEF, Afenifere, and I think about four or five groups met in Abuja and said Buhari should not be given a second term.
“But now you hear things like he must do his eight years, what about the South? We have taken very crude politics and put it in the constitution, where everyone is saying the South must have it for eight years because Buhari did.
“Where is this thing coming from? These are some of the rubbish that is poisoning the politics, even if you can’t perform, what if you have health or age issues, must you remain president for eight years simply because you come from one part of the country? This is the kind of thinking that keeps us declining permanently.”
