Former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has delivered a blistering critique of the administration – questioning both the President’s ambassadorial nominations and his suitability for a second term in 2027.
Speaking during separate television appearances over the weekend, Baba-Ahmed urged the 10th National Assembly to subject Tinubu’s newly released list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to rigorous scrutiny, insisting that some of the individuals presented raise troubling concerns.
“There are a few of these nominees that require more rigorous scrutiny in terms of their background, integrity, and records”, he warned. “This scrutiny will serve the national interest and do justice to President Bola Tinubu’s campaign against corruption”.
He stressed that allegations hanging over some nominees have not been disproved, adding that integrity – not politics, ethnicity, or regional considerations – must guide the confirmation process. Tinubu forwarded 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees to the Senate, including former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu; ex-INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu; ex-minister Femi Fani-Kayode; Reno Omokri, and several others.
The Presidency said the nominees will be deployed to key countries and multilateral missions after Senate confirmation.
Baba-Ahmed also criticised the President for delaying the ambassadorial list for nearly two years, describing the move as “very late” and unworthy of the administration.
In another sharp rebuke, Baba-Ahmed said he wishes President Tinubu would not seek re-election in 2027, arguing that the President has not demonstrated the hunger or drive needed to fix Nigeria.
“When I left his administration, one of the things I told many people was: ‘I wish President Tinubu would not run again in 2027’, he said, in a television programme. “I don’t think he has run the country well. The Tinubu we used to know… hasn’t shown that same hunger to fix things”, he stated.
He suggested that Tinubu, having achieved his lifelong ambition of becoming president, should now support a younger, healthier, and more focused candidate within the APC.
The President has not declared his intention to run, but the ruling party endorsed him for a second term earlier in the year. The Progressive Governors’ Forum had passed a vote of confidence in him at a national summit, pledging to deliver his mandate in their respective states.
