In a powerful appeal for political renewal, Datti Baba-Ahmed, the former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has declared that Nigeria urgently needs a new generation of leaders. He directly addressed the perennial presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar, highlighting the vast generational gap between them.
A Call for Political Transition
Baba-Ahmed made his position clear during a recent interview on Channels Television. He pointedly noted that Atiku Abubakar was already a presidential aspirant when he (Baba-Ahmed) was a youth corps member serving in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). This stark timeline, he argued, underscores why older politicians should now cede the stage.
"When I was doing my NYSC, Baba Atiku was an aspirant," Baba-Ahmed stated. He further detailed their overlapping political journeys: "In 2018, we contested primaries together. In 2023 we contested again, I as a vice president elsewhere when his vice president had left him. For God's sake in 2027 again?"
Discouraging Younger Talent with Better Ideas
The politician asserted that the continued dominance of figures like Atiku is actively discouraging capable younger Nigerians from entering the political arena. He blamed an "expensive, difficult, treacherous system full of godfathers and bad promises" for blocking fresh talent.
However, Baba-Ahmed expressed strong belief in the abundance of capable citizens. "There are people capable of solving Nigerian problems," he insisted. "There are good Nigerians who are looking for that leader to lead them to fix Nigeria's problems. A whole new generation is waiting for a new leader to lead them to a new party."
The 2027 Presidential Context
This call for a generational shift comes at a critical juncture. Atiku Abubakar has recently left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), from which platform he is expected to launch another bid for the presidency in the 2027 elections.
Baba-Ahmed's comments are therefore seen as a direct challenge to this plan, urging the former PDP flagbearer and others of his era to allow a younger cohort with innovative ideas to take charge and address the nation's multifaceted challenges.
