Datti Baba-Ahmed: Tinubu should hand over, not to rivals

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the former vice-presidential candidate for the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, has stated that President Bola Tinubu should prepare to hand over power at the end of his current term but should not transfer it to any of the politicians currently challenging him for the presidency in 2027. Baba-Ahmed asserted that none of the opposition figures, including his former running mate Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, can improve Nigeria. Baba-Ahmed made these remarks during an interview on the Mic On Podcast, which was posted on Saturday, September 5, 2026. He described the current administration under President Tinubu as more oppressive than past military regimes, citing "brute civil force" and the use of state institutions to suppress dissent. He argued that concentration of political power under the civilian government is unprecedented and that even past military rulers showed more respect for constitutional principles.