Former spokesman of Northern Elders Forum and National Chairman of the People’s Redemption Party, PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has reiterated that if the 2027 presidential election was held in free and fair atmosphere, President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), will be defeated before 4pm on the election day.
Baba-Ahmed, who was Tinubu’s political adviser, has repeatedly urged the President not to contest in the 2027 presidential election, accusing him of lacking the intelligence, moral and political will to tackle the numerous challenges facing the country.
Speaking during a Channels Television programme on Wednesday, he cited the outcome of the recent Osun State governorship election, declaring that the APC remained vulnerable despite its political dominance.
“If it’s a credible, free and fair election, I assure you, Tinubu will lose,” Baba-Ahmed declared.
“APC was trounced in Osun. We didn’t even see a coalition or collaboration or a gang-up against the APC. Parties all competed against one another. Yet, APC was defeated,” he said.
Mr Baba-Ahmed argued that the Osun outcome should serve as a warning to the APC ahead of the 2027 presidential election, stressing that what happened in the state could be replicated at the national level.
“There’s no reason why this cannot repeat itself at a national level,” he said.
The PRP chairman also dismissed suggestions that the outcome of the Osun election was the result of an understanding between Tinubu and Governor Ademola Adeleke.
He maintained that his assessment was based on the ability of voters to defeat a ruling party through the ballot when elections are credible.
Baba-Ahmed also launched a scathing attack on the internal workings of the APC, describing the ruling party in unusually harsh terms.
“APC is not a party. It is a monster eating itself up and eating everybody up,” he said.
He further criticised what he described as the concentration of political power around the presidency, despite the APC’s commanding position across the country.
Mr Baba-Ahmed noted that Tinubu had the backing of a large number of governors and a substantial majority in the National Assembly, but argued that the political advantage had not translated into electoral security for the President.
“You have a president who appears to have garnered the support of 31 governors and quite possibly about 75 per cent of the National Assembly, yet he’s still uncomfortable. It’s politically monstrous,” he said.
Explaining his prediction that the result would become clear within hours of voting, the PRP chairman said he deliberately avoided putting an earlier deadline on the outcome.
“I won’t say before 12 noon. Maybe before 4 pm,” he predicted
