Former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Matters, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the ruling party as one driven by political office holders rather than popular support.
Baba-Ahmed made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television and monitored by DAILY POST.
According to him, the widespread control of states by the APC does not necessarily translate to genuine national acceptance or grassroots connection.
“I’m afraid my thinking is quite different. People tend to think that because the APC has almost all the states, it has the country. No, it doesn’t,” he said.
He noted that the party’s dominance is largely the result of mass defections by elected officials rather than organic support from citizens.
“Governors, senators, and members of the House of Representatives have all defected from their original parties into the APC,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
While acknowledging the APC’s numerical strength, he questioned the foundation of its influence.
“The APC is the dominant party in the country, yet it is very far away from the people. You have to ask yourself, what is the phenomenon behind this? As we speak, we have over 20 governors in the APC,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed concluded by drawing a clear distinction between political power and popular legitimacy.
“The APC is a party of the office holder. It’s not necessarily the party of the people. There’s a difference between the two,” he added.
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