The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has claimed that former President Muhammadu Buhari considered President Bola Tinubu “bad news” for Nigeria and was reluctant to hand over power to him.
Baba-Ahmed, who served in Tinubu’s administration for about two years, made the allegation while speaking at a summit organised by the Northern Elders Forum. His remarks were published by Symfoni TV on Saturday.
“Even Buhari saw Tinubu as bad news for this country. In fairness to him, he is not around him(sic). Buhari resisted some people who insisted it had to be Tinubu,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He criticised Tinubu’s presidency, arguing that the country had been pushed into a difficult situation under his leadership and insisting that the trend must be reversed.
“Now we are being depressed for having a president for three and a half years. He has dragged the country as lo as it is possible to go. And it has to stop him. We cannot go below, beyond where we are,” he added.
Baba-Ahmed also revisited Tinubu’s declaration, “It’s my turn,” during the contest for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket in 2022, saying Nigerians should have paid closer attention to the remark before the 2023 election.
“Nigerians ought to have known there was something wrong the day Tinubu said, ‘It’s my turn.’ Maybe we missed it,” he said.
“We have a presidency of a country of 250 million people. My turn? To do what? To become president.”
The PRP chairman further faulted Tinubu over his reported position that he would not attend every APC campaign event, arguing that the President was unwilling to acknowledge mistakes and appeal to Nigerians for their support.
He declared that Nigerians would endure the administration but would not allow what he described as its abuse and plunder to continue.
“We will survive the four years of abuse, plunder of Tinubu. We will not allow him,” Baba-Ahmed said.
During the 2023 presidential campaign, Tinubu had said there were plots to frustrate his ambition to succeed Buhari.
