Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has called on President Bola Tinubu to abandon plans for a second term and pave the way for younger leadership.
Baba-Ahmed, who recently resigned as special adviser on political affairs in the vice-president’s office, made the appeal in an open letter to Tinubu on Wednesday, April 23.
“Step aside — not for your opponents, but for a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas,” he wrote.
“Our generation has done its time. It would be a masterstroke if you and your party yielded the field to new voices and new leadership.
“That way, you could catalyse a peaceful, historic transformation and inspire a new political culture rooted in merit, unity, and progress.”
He urged the president to consider the legacy he wants to leave behind. “You hold what your opposition lacks: the power to reduce the harshness of life for the average Nigerian,” he said.
While acknowledging that Tinubu inherited an ailing economy and a weary population, Baba-Ahmed faulted his “inability” to convert the initial goodwill of his inauguration into “effective leadership”.
He described the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda as “a set of campaign promises, not a coherent governance plan”, and said more than half of the federal cabinet “has no business managing an administration tasked with improving security, livelihoods, or public trust”.
Baba-Ahmed, who disclosed he never met Tinubu throughout his 18-month tenure in the presidency, warned against prioritising politics over performance.
“Two years is a long time — you can still achieve much,” he said. “But if you shift attention now to electoral ambitions, you risk losing both governance momentum and public goodwill.
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“If you win again without reforming your style and strategy, you may spend four more years preserving failure. If you lose, your legacy could be wiped out in an instant.”
He warned that discontent is growing across the country. “The north is drifting from your leadership under the weight of economic hardship, insecurity, and alienation,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“The east remains politically disengaged, while the south-south is fragmented. The south-west has been lukewarm, and its privileged position may become a burden. The north-east is deeply wounded and can no longer be taken for granted.”
Baba-Ahmed described Tinubu’s leadership style as “disconnected and exclusive”.
“Your closed-door style of leadership, your apparent indifference to complaints of ethnic bias in appointments, and the perception that you frequently run the country from abroad while attending to personal matters have created the image of an isolated leader heading an insular administration,” he added.
“Your inner and secondary circles do not reflect the discipline or inspiration necessary to transform Nigeria.”
He also criticised the government’s lack of clear messaging. “You needed a strong engagement strategy — one capable of building national consensus or at least neutralising hostility,” he said.
“Instead, you’ve appointed a crowd of spokespersons who often confuse rather than clarify your policies.”
Earlier this month, Baba-Ahmed said the north would unveil its position on the 2027 presidency within six months.
“We know nobody will become president without the north,” he had stated.