- Obi’s key backers coming to APC – says Tinubu’s adviser, Bwala.
Former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu in the Office of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has advised former presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso to discard their plans to run for the presidency in 2027.
Baba-Ahmed said Obi and Kwankwaso should step aside for the younger generation, alongside Tinubu and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar. He maintained that their generation no longer has anything to offer Nigerians because they have played themselves out.
In an interview with Trust TV, he said: “Peter Obi, Kwankwaso should also step aside for the younger generation, alongside President Tinubu and Atiku. This particular generation has played itself out, they really have nothing to offer this country.
“We are going through the same politics again where there is bitterness, winner takes it all, and it has to be me at all cost; and when you get to power, you don’t have the energy and the strength to tackle the country.
“So long as it’s one of these guys, the rest will not step down, I don’t expect all of them to go into a room and say let’s all step down for Nigeria, I’m not sure their patriotism is that high for all of them to agree.
“The point I’m making is that the nation needs a new lease of life, I don’t see Nigeria with a bright future under these tired and elderly politicians who have spent the last 20 to 30 years just simply managing power,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also faulted the decision of presidents to spend eight years in power.
“One of the distracting things is this nonsense that once you are president, you must serve for two terms. Who said that? When the NEF realized that Buhari was bad news for this country, he wasn’t performing and not willing to fix this country, we rallied other groups in the country.
“We met here in Abuja and told the nation that we don’t trust Buhari with another four years, and we were right. Ohanaeze, NEF, Afenifere, and I think about four or five groups met in Abuja and said Buhari should not be given a second term.
“But now you hear things like he must do his eight years, what about the South? We have taken to very crude politics and put it on the constitution where everyone is saying the South must have its eight years because Buhari did.
“Where is this thing coming from? These are some of the rubbish that is poisoning the politics. Even if you can’t perform, what if you have health or age issues, must you remain president for eight years simply because you come from one part of the country? This is the kind of thinking that keeps us declining permanently,” he added.
.Obi’s media handler, aide in talks with APC – Bwala
As the gale of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continues, the Presidency, yesterday said Obi may have lost some of his key allies, who are currrently perfecting plans to join the APC train.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy, Daniel Bwala, stated in a television interview that some of Obi’s appointees are on their way to joining the ruling party.
Bwala specifically claimed that one of Obi’s handlers is already in APC, while “the second handler is in talks” with party leaders. He further revealed that one of Obi’s media aides has expressed interest in joining the party.
“Governors are on their own coming into our party. What about the key managers of specific presidential candidates of the last election?
“Take, for example, Peter Obi, one of his handlers, is with us. The second handler is in talks with us. One of his media spokesmen is in talks with us.
“Why are they joining us? Nobody is giving anybody kobo, but because they realise, we are not perfect as a government, but our hearts are right, our head is correct, and we are creating a national consensus,”he said.