ABUJA: Yoruba pro-democracy group, the Omoluabi Coalition has launched a blistering attack on Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, accusing the former presidential adviser of acting as a “fifth columnist” dedicated to fracturing the opposition to clear a path for President Bola Tinubu’s reelection in 2027.
In a scathing statement released Friday, Coalition convener, Olumide Obayemi, dismissed Baba-Ahmed’s recent demands for former vice president Atiku Abubakar to quit the 2027 race, labeling the calls “duplicitous” and “intellectually dishonest.”
Reports had quoted the former administration official of saying that the opposition African Democratic Congress ADC would witness mass defections, should Atiku pick its presidential ticket. He also accused Peter Obi of always running away from competitive primary elections because he is incapable of winning them and would lose a hundred times should conventions be held multiple times.
Reacting to the report, the Coalition noted a glaring double standard in Baba-Ahmed’s recent commentary.
Since exiting the Tinubu administration, the group noted that he has remained suspiciously silent on the “unprecedented economic hardship” gripping the nation, choosing instead to train his fire on opposition figures.
“It is both ironic and revealing that a man who claims non-partisanship finds nothing fundamentally wrong with an administration that has wrecked livelihoods, but finds endless fault with an opposition seeking to rescue the country,” the statement read.
The Omoluabi Coalition further accused Baba-Ahmed of trying to “criminalize” legitimate political aspirations, particularly those from the South-East.
It defended the rights of Peter Obi’s supporters and other regional blocs to negotiate for leadership, asserting that democracy thrives on engagement, not enforced silence from “self-appointed gatekeepers.”
The coalition accused Baba-Ahmed and his family of coordinated attacks against Peter Obi to sow discord, and also asserted that Atiku’s right to run is a personal and legal mandate, not subject to Baba-Ahmed’s approval.
“We challenge Hakeem Baba-Ahmed to come clean. Is he an independent voice, or a fifth columnist working to hand an advantage to the ruling party? Nigerians must see through this charade and reject it”, the coalition declared.
