Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has said President Bola Tinubu’s strong political structure could make his re-election bid in 2027 difficult to stop, arguing that only divine intervention could prevent the president from securing another term.
Gatekeepers News reports that Baba-Ahmed made the remarks in an interview with TrustTV while assessing the political landscape ahead of the 2027 presidential election and the strengths of the major contenders.
Although he said he disagreed with several of Tinubu’s policies, Baba-Ahmed acknowledged the president’s long-term political organisation and ability to build alliances.
According to him, Tinubu spent about 16 years building his political structure and was instrumental in bringing former President Muhammadu Buhari into an alliance ahead of the 2015 election.
“Even though I don’t entirely agree with him, he did what others were not able to do. He organised for 16 years, not just plan,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“He organised for 16 years against all odds, he brought in Buhari from retirement. Buhari is from across the Niger. He stood for that.”
Baba-Ahmed described Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election as an extraordinary political achievement, saying the president had “won a lottery with 16 digits”.
He also claimed that Tinubu had established a stronghold over Nigeria’s political space and had “overpowered almost everyone”.
The former senator further alleged that the president could frustrate attempts by opposition parties to form a united front ahead of the 2027 election.
“He (Tinubu) will not allow them (opposition) to come together. He probably actually chooses candidates in the opposition parties. He installs leadership in those political parties. He does what you and I cannot imagine,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed went further to suggest that Tinubu’s political influence was such that his declaration as winner in 2027 would be difficult to prevent.
“If Tinubu says something will happen, only God Almighty can stop it. If he says to be declared in 2027, only God Almighty can stop it. I’m telling you this,” he said.
When asked whether his comments amounted to praise or criticism of the president, Baba-Ahmed said people were free to interpret them as they wished.
“It is anybody’s business to interpret it anyhow. I only state the facts. And the fact is Nigeria now belongs to Tinubu,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed, who was Peter Obi’s running mate on the Labour Party ticket in the 2023 election, recently said none of Tinubu’s major opponents in the 2027 presidential race had the capacity to improve Nigeria.
He had specifically said Obi, Atiku Abubakar and other contenders were among politicians who had been part of the political system responsible for the country’s current condition.
