“Tinubu Worse Than Military Dictators,” Datti Baba Ahmed Says in Scathing Interview

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as more oppressive than Nigeria’s past military regimes and urging the president not to seek reelection in 2027.

In an interview on The Mic-On Podcast, Baba-Ahmed accused the Tinubu government of exercising what he termed “brute civil force” and using state institutions to suppress political opposition and dissent.

Baba-Ahmed compared Tinubu’s leadership with the regimes of Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha, and Abdulsalami Abubakar, arguing that despite being dictators, the military leaders demonstrated greater respect for constitutional principles.

“The military was so disciplined. They respected the Constitution. They had shame. They had principles. They had scruples. But now it is brute civil force. That’s what we’re experiencing in Nigeria,” he stated.

He described the concentration of political power under the current administration as unprecedented, suggesting that even past military rulers maintained what he called discipline and restraint.

Baba-Ahmed advised President Tinubu to prepare to hand over power after his current tenure rather than contest the 2027 presidential election.

“I would simply advise ‘Uncle’ to please prepare to hand over and move away, but not to the people contesting against him, because none of them will improve Nigeria,” he said.

When asked whether he included Peter Obi among those he believed would not improve the country, Baba-Ahmed answered in the affirmative.

“None of that pack. Tinubu should leave the stage. All those people contesting against him, too, they were all in bed together at some point or another,” he said, adding that this included Obi.

He emphasized that his position was not an endorsement of any existing politician but a call for “a whole new Nigeria,” arguing the country needs leadership beyond politicians who previously belonged to established ruling parties.

The former senator also criticized the National Assembly, alleging that the legislature has become too close to the executive and has effectively turned into an extension of the presidency.

He took particular exception to lawmakers singing political songs in support of the president, arguing such conduct undermines legislative independence.

“A legislature must never be that compromised to the level of singing for those who are members of their party. Singing ‘On your mandate we shall stand,'” Baba-Ahmed said.

He added that if he were still a member of the House of Representatives, he would have taken steps to prevent such conduct from recurring.

Baba-Ahmed revisited the 2023 presidential election, alleging that the electronic transmission and reporting of results through INEC’s IReV platform was interrupted and that constitutional provisions were breached.

He questioned the circumstances surrounding the declaration of the presidential election result and alleged that the presence of the National Security Adviser in court during proceedings concerning the election raised questions that deserved answers.

“From outside government, you had switched off IReV. From outside government, it was switched off. The Constitution was breached,” he alleged.

Baba-Ahmed has consistently maintained that the Labour Party ticket won the 2023 presidential election and that there were constitutional grounds to challenge the process leading to Tinubu’s inauguration.

Despite his criticism of the current political system, Baba-Ahmed rejected military intervention as an alternative, saying the solution to bad democracy is better democracy.

“The only option to bad democracy is good democracy,” he said.

He described “legitimate, active civil engagement” as the way forward, urging Nigerians to leave their comfort zones and participate more actively in politics.

“The good people in Nigeria must come out, sacrifice their comfort, leave their comfort zones, come out and ride out, push out the bad elements that have been destroying Nigeria,” he said.

On insecurity, Baba-Ahmed argued that corruption is at the heart of Nigeria’s security crisis, claiming that eliminating corruption could address more than half of the country’s insecurity problems.

“How do you… Once you remove corruption, you have fought more than 50% of insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.

He called for greater investment in the armed forces, including military equipment, personnel welfare, and technology to monitor Nigeria’s extensive borders, suggesting that modern surveillance technology could allow Nigeria to monitor large stretches of its borders from central command facilities.

On Tinubu’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and foreign-exchange reforms, Baba-Ahmed said policies could not succeed without addressing what he described as the underlying character and integrity of government.

He compared governance to constructing infrastructure, saying the success of policies depends on the “foundation” on which they are built.

“Those policies are supposed to rest on something. What is that thing? That is the character, content, principles, and philosophy of the leadership,” he said.

He acknowledged that some Nigerians may have benefited from the administration’s economic policies but attributed such benefits largely to what he described as the president’s friends and political associates.

His remarks come as Nigeria’s political parties and opposition groups position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, with questions over the ability of opposition forces to mount a credible challenge to the ruling APC.

Baba-Ahmed said Nigerians should focus less on personalities and more on building institutions and a political system capable of producing accountable leadership.