# Tags

RIGHT OF REPLY RE: DR HAKEEM BABA-AHMED’S ARTICLE TITLED: MR PRESIDENT, PLEASE ALLOW YOUNGER PEOPLE TO RUN IN 2027

Friday Lines (64) With Dr Abubakar Alkali 25/4/2025 New title: Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed please retire and allow young people take over politics and bring new ideas to Northern Nigeria. Early this week, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed yet again sought to whip sentiments to renew his political relevance by writing an article asking President Tinubu not to contest but allow young people to run in the 2027 Presidential election. This article is not in anyway meant to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 but to shed more light on the apparent hypocrisy of some Northern elite who speak from both sides of their mouth. Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed should retire as he wants President Tinubu to.In fact, this column supports a total youth resurgence in Nigeria’s politics and repositioning in government at all levels in Nigeria. Clearly, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed’s article raises more questions than answers. For one, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, why don’t you retire as you want Tinubu to? You are over 70 years of age. Tinubu’s official age is 73 which means you are the same age bracket as Tinubu but at over 70 years of age, you are still grandstanding and proclaiming yourself as the ‘Spokesman of the North’ Does it mean that there is no younger person who can speak for the North? Why don’t you retire and allow the youths in the North run Politics and bring new ideas to Northern Nigeria? Must you be the spokesperson of the North forever or are you using the North to negotiate a government appointment for yourself?You criticised the APC for 8 years and ended up taking a very junior appointment in an APC government. Does that show ideology. Can the North trust you?You were made irrelevant in the Tinubu administration and thrown out. Good for youThose who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, please stop this grandstanding and retire from public life NOW and allow young people with FRESH and NEW IDEAS take over politics in Northern Nigeria. For as long as OAP’s like Dr Hakeem continue to deceive us Northerners, for so long our Northern region will continue to be in this sorry state.

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU ON THE STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED IN RIVERS STATE AND THE NEED TO REMOVE NYESOM WIKE AS FCT MINISTER TO COMPLETE A POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE RIVERS STATE CRISIS

Friday Lines (54) WithDr Abubakar Alkali Mr. President, you did the right thing by declaring a state of emergency in Rivers state over the prolonged political crisis in. Without a doubt, the crisis, if left unchecked, could have a devastating effect on the nation’s democracy. Your declaration on the state of emergency in Rivers is a stitch in time that saved our democracy. Your earlier intervention in the crisis by calling the two gladiators – Governor Fubara and Minister Wike- to order was largely ignored, leaving you with no option but to declare the state of emergency. However, the removal of Gov Fubara from the office is only but one part of the problem solved. What about the other part of the crisis? How about the one in the red corner? Your minister Nyesom Wike, who, if we are sincere to ourselves, is the fire that fuels the Rivers state political crisis to achieve a predetermined goal or better still serve his personal interests? Mr President, to balance the equation there is the need for you to remove Mr Nyesom Wike as minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) and member of the federal executive council (FEC) so that total peace can reign in Rivers state. Removing Governor Fubara from office and leaving Minister Wike will only solve half of the political logjam in Rivers state. To restore normalcy, Wike needs to go as well. A state of emergency is a last resort and powers to declare it are fully conferred on you as the President in section 305 of the constitution, Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which you have invoked to restore sanity to Rivers state. It is instructive that in your 20 paragraph speech this evening on your declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers state, you didn’t mention Nyesom Wike even once. The speech was one-sided as only Governor Fubara bore all the brunts while Minister Wike appeared clean. Is this a confirmation of the widely held belief that the federal government has taken sides on the Rivers crisis? Leaving Wike on the loose will surely boomerang because he will come back to renew the political crisis in Rivers after the 6 months expiration of the state of emergency (if not renewed). The right thing to do is to demobilise Wike by removing him from his current role as FCT minister through which he oils the crisis in Rivers state. Quite honestly, Wike’s aggravated ambition and desire to control Rivers state will not allow peace to reign in the state unless his wings are clipped. Mr. President, Wike can still play politics for you in your bid for reelection in 2027. He can checkmate the PDP, but for the sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy and economy, he should not be allowed anywhere near the edges of executive power. The man is simply too politically smart. Needless to add here that sustaining peaceful coexistence in Rivers state is critical for sustaining democracy in Nigeria, especially when juxtaposed with the need to safeguard our oil infrastructure, which is vital to Nigeria’s economic survival. For once, i thank you Mr President for taking this timely intervention to restore normalcy in Rivers state but again I wish to remind you that this declaration has only solved one part of the problem (Fubara in the blue corner). The other part of the problem (Wike in the red corner) is still rolling and unless you clip his wings by removing Wike as FCT minister and member, federal executive council, the crisis may be far from over.