A public affairs analyst, Olumide Obayemi, has criticised former presidential aide and ex–Northern Elders Forum spokesperson, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, over what he described as continued interference in Nigeria’s opposition politics.
Obayemi’s reaction followed Baba-Ahmed’s recent comment suggesting that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar should step aside in the race for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a statement issued on Friday, Obayemi, who is the convener of the Omoluabi Coalition, described Baba-Ahmed’s remarks as “duplicitous, partisan and deliberately calculated to weaken the opposition” as the country moves towards 2027.
According to him, since leaving the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed has failed to offer any meaningful criticism of a government he said has overseen “unprecedented economic hardship, social dislocation and national despair.”
Instead, Obayemi alleged that the former presidential aide has focused his attention almost exclusively on attacking the opposition, particularly the ADC, a development he said raises serious questions about Baba-Ahmed’s true political loyalties.
“It is both ironic and revealing that a man who claims non-partisanship has found nothing fundamentally wrong with an administration that has wrecked livelihoods, yet finds endless fault with an opposition seeking to rescue the country,” the statement read.
Obayemi further insisted that Baba-Ahmed lacks the moral and democratic authority to delegitimise political aspirations or demands simply because he disagrees with them.
“No individual — certainly not Hakeem Baba-Ahmed — has the right to criminalise political demands on the basis of personal preference,” the Coalition stated.
He added that supporters of all major political figures are entitled to freely express their views within a democratic space.
“Supporters of Peter Obi are entitled to their views, just as supporters of Atiku Abubakar or any other aspirant are. Democracy does not require silence; it requires engagement,” Obayemi said.
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