The presidency has fired back at former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, over his recent comments urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to forgo any ambition of seeking re-election in 2027. In a strongly worded reaction, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, described Baba-Ahmed’s position as misinformed, incoherent, and politically shallow.
Baba-Ahmed, who ran alongside Peter Obi in the 2023 general elections under the Labour Party, had, during a television appearance, suggested that Nigerians would reject Tinubu at the polls in 2027 and demand what he termed “true democracy.” According to him, Tinubu’s administration had not met expectations and therefore had no business seeking a second term in office.
However, in a post shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, Sunday Dare dismissed the remarks as laughable and lacking any form of political substance. He accused Baba-Ahmed of engaging in what he called “armchair theorizing” and peddling half-baked predictions devoid of reality.
“Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed’s ‘illogical logic’ was all over the place in his recent television interview. He peddled arguments that were fundamentally flawed and void of depth. One would think he just arrived from another planet, going by the political fantasies he uttered,” Dare stated.
The presidential aide didn’t stop there. He drew a comparison between Baba-Ahmed’s statements and the unreliable predictions of self-styled prophets, suggesting that the Labour Party stalwart lacks both political experience and understanding of governance.
“Listening to his postulations is like being subjected to the annual forecasts of dubious ‘prophets’ whose words never hold water. His commentary on Nigeria’s political future and on President Tinubu, in particular, cannot be taken seriously. The political duo of Baba-Ahmed and Peter Obi has become a ‘double whammy’—an unfortunate cocktail of misinformation in Nigeria’s political discourse,” Dare wrote.
He further criticized the former senator’s grasp of governance, noting that Baba-Ahmed failed to acknowledge the substantive efforts and policy initiatives already undertaken by President Tinubu since assuming office in May 2023. According to Dare, the Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate chose instead to focus on speculative narratives without grounding his claims in fact.
“Politics is not for dreamers or theorists. It is not the playground of the parochial or the faint-hearted. It requires a track record, the ability to make tough decisions, and a vision for the country. These are qualities that President Tinubu has exhibited in the last two years. Unfortunately, these are qualities that Baba-Ahmed clearly lacks,” Dare said.
The former Minister of Youth and Sports Development also questioned Baba-Ahmed’s sincerity, pointing to what he termed a dishonest narrative around the President’s campaign promises. He maintained that Tinubu has taken bold and necessary steps to reposition Nigeria’s economy, even in the face of significant global and domestic challenges.
Citing recent endorsements from global institutions, Dare referred to comments made by IMF Representative to Nigeria, Ari Aisen Schimmelpfennig, who acknowledged that Tinubu’s economic reforms had placed Nigeria in a better position to navigate external shocks.
“The reforms implemented by President Tinubu—removal of fuel subsidies, unification of exchange rates, and renewed investment in infrastructure—are already yielding positive signals. These are not just local observations. The IMF recently recognized these policy decisions as instrumental in stabilizing the economy,” he said.
Looking ahead to the next general elections, Dare declared that the president’s performance and political acumen would guarantee him victory in 2027, regardless of the criticisms being leveled by opposition figures.
“In 2027, Baba-Ahmed and other presidential hopefuls will need more than theories and television tours to defeat President Tinubu. His record of leadership and the reforms he has put in motion will pave the way for another clear electoral victory,” Dare asserted.
He rounded off his remarks with a stern piece of advice: “Rather than hopping from one media outlet to another with recycled rhetoric, Datti Baba-Ahmed should focus on reviving his own stalled political relevance. He may do better by observing the game from the sidelines and leaving the business of governance to those who have proven their capacity.”
The verbal exchange marks yet another heated moment in Nigeria’s growing pre-2027 political discourse, as key figures from the last general election continue to spar over the nation’s direction. As the Tinubu administration approaches its second year in office, attention is increasingly turning to how policies are impacting ordinary Nigerians, and whether the early reform agenda will translate into long-term political capital.
