Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Affairs, has delivered a scathing critique of Northern voters, asserting that they must “take responsibility” for what he describes as the current administration’s poor governance.
In a column published on Tuesday, Baba-Ahmed, who previously served as spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), contended that the majority of Muslims and Northerners cast their votes for Tinubu not based on competence or a belief in his capacity to lead, but primarily due to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket. He suggested that for many, voting for Tinubu was perceived as a “religious obligation.”
Baba-Ahmed’s piece, which he framed as an engagement with his graduate students on Governance and Public Policy, directly addressed questions from his students regarding his decision to work for President Tinubu, given his prior criticisms of the previous administration and concerns about future governance.
“I explained that it would have been irresponsible to refuse to be part of a rebuilding process after so much damage had been done to the nation, damage I had previously criticized,” Baba-Ahmed wrote. He added, “Many northern voters now behave as if the Tinubu administration descended upon Nigeria from the sky and that working in or for it is a mortal sin.”
He further highlighted the significant role played by influential Northern governors in championing a Southern presidential candidate, many of whom were instrumental in the successful Tinubu campaign and now hold prominent positions within his administration. This, he noted, occurred “after a northern presidency had achieved the worst record in leadership credentials.”
Baba-Ahmed did not mince words, arguing that the North should feel ashamed for allowing regional and religious considerations to dictate their voting choices.
“I reinforced this point to a crowd made up substantially of northerners and Muslims: the majority of Tinubu’s votes came from northerners and Muslims who believed that voting for him was a religious obligation. If anyone should be held responsible for Tinubu’s victory, it should be those who elevated region and religion as the prime determinants of their choices during the last election,” he stated emphatically.
