Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has confirmed his resignation as special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on political matters [Office of the Vice President].
Speaking to the public for the first time after his resignation, Mr Baba-Ahmed said the Northern region will develop a direction ahead of the 2027 general election.
He also warned against rigging the 2027 general election, saying it might be the end of Nigeria.
Mr Baba-Ahmed stated this shortly after the Wedding Fatiha of his daughter in Zaria.
Seated beside the former executive secretary of the NHIS, Prof. Yusuf Usman, the Northern leader said, “You know I just recently resigned. So I’m yet to make public comments. But if I’m to speak, you would see similarities of thought between me and Prof. Usman.
“What he [Prof.Usman] has been saying and advocating are similar to my position even before I accepted this appointment.
“But what I can say for now is that it’s only the North that can rescue itself. Northerners must wake up and caution themselves.
“We must be wary of treacherous and selfish politicians. We must do away with anything that would divide us.
“The current situation affects everybody, whether you are a Muslim, Christian, Bajju, Fulani, or Mangu—everybody is affected,” he said.
He lamented that the current situation is similar to what was happening before the Buhari administration came on board.
“We have experienced this similar situation even before President Buhari came to power. Boko Haram were detonating bombs in mosques, churches, Abuja and Lagos,” he said.
He said whoever intends to seek the votes of the North in 2027 must come out with a clear-cut blueprint on how to salvage the region.
“There is no politician that would come and dictate to us the direction to follow. Who are you? Nobody would accept that.
“You have to tell us what you intend to do for us and practical ways to carry it out.
“Our eyes are wide open; Buhari spent eight years, and now we have another government, and everything is screaming.
“So does it mean we don’t have privileges other than to be crying all the time? We are also citizens of this country. We want a government that understands our problems and knows how to solve the”, he said.
“So the issue of Arewa is a very broad conversation. I know for a fact that in the next six months [Insha Allah] you will see a very big movement and alignments in the direction Arewa would take ahead of 2027.
“Whether other parts of the country would go with us or we go alone, but what is certain is that nobody becomes president of Nigeria without the North.
“And I know for a fact that the [current administration] would regret the disrespect and ill treatment meted out against us.
“Unless they want to conduct a terrible election to cheat us – and rigging the 2027 election might be the end of Nigeria”, he warned.
Mr Baba-Ahmed said he expected every northerner to have taken a hard lesson from the current situation of the country.
“With the current situation in North, I believe it is time for everybody to open their eyes, unite and find a pathway.
“Whether the whirlwind would come through groups , individuals or coalitions, I don’t know, but I believe if the ordinary citizen had made mistakes in the past and voted for someone because he hailed from the north or because some few individuals from the north said power must return to the south, that is all over now. We need a good leader who will take us out of our challenges,” he added.
