Atiku’s coalition not North-centric – Baba-Ahmed
Former presidential adviser, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has dismissed claims that northern politicians are solely driving the emerging opposition coalition against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, Baba-Ahmed, who recently stepped down from his advisory role, refuted the notion that political alliances in Nigeria are formed only when a Southerner is in power.
He insisted that the coalition spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar includes significant southern participation.
He rejected the widespread narrative suggesting that northern politicians habitually “gang up” against southern-led governments, emphasizing that political coalitions in Nigeria are not region-specific.
“Southerners are part of this coalition conversation as well,” Baba-Ahmed said. “You have people like Rotimi Amaechi and Rauf Aregbesola involved. This is not a northern agenda—it’s a national one.”
He further noted that coalitions have long been part of Nigeria’s political landscape and are not exclusive to any region.
He cited the 2013 alliance that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which eventually defeated former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election.
“That coalition was not about the North. In fact, it included southern leaders like President Tinubu, who was instrumental in its creation.
We brought together elements from the AD and CPC to form the APC. Coalitions have always been part of our politics,” he explained.
Baba-Ahmed reiterated that the push for political alliances is about shared goals and interests, not regional power struggles, and cautioned against framing national political movements through the lens of ethnic or regional rivalry.
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