From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has dismissed recent remarks by former Labour Party Vice Presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, regarding President Bola Tinubu’s political future, labeling his prediction of Tinubu’s defeat in 2027 as “illogical,” likening it to fake prophecy.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, described Datti’s comments as “empty” and “devoid of reason,” in his post on his verified X handle @SundayDareSD, insisting that President Tinubu remains focused on economic reforms and national development, not electoral politics.
The presidential aide emphasized that Tinubu’s achievements such as rising foreign reserves, declining inflation, and increased investment demonstrate his leadership and capacity, expressing confidence that the president will “comfortably” secure a re-election based on his record.
“Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed’s ‘illogical logic’ was all over the place in his recent interview. He peddled arguments that were flawed, devoid of reason and empty,” Dare wrote, adding that Datti’s political analysis was as unreliable as “the New Year predictions of charlatan prophets which never came through.”
Dare derided former Labour Party vice presidential candidate’s political qualifications, equating his interview to an enduring “torment.”
Dare dismissed the 2023 Obi-Datti ticket as a “double whammy” in Nigeria’s political arena.
“If listening to a Peter Obi interview was a punishment, listening to Baba-Ahmed, his defunct running mate, is a torment.
“His political logic is not fit for even a first-year political science class,” he said.
Dare also criticized Datti’s claim that Tinubu’s past would hinder his chances of re-election, accusing the Labour Party leader of deliberately overlooking the president’s record of achievements and ongoing economic reforms.
“He conveniently avoided the substance of performance and capacity. “Unfortunately, he chose to walk into a lane he was unfamiliar with and chose to confront a politician he is no match for,” Dare said.
Dismissing Datti and other opposition hopefuls as “Presidential Wannabes,” Dare said politics is not for theorists or the faint-hearted, but for individuals with a “solid track record of performance, the courageous, far-sighted and gifted – qualities Datti clearly lacks.”
He criticised Datti for alleged dishonesty in claiming Tinubu failed to deliver on his campaign pledges, countering that the administration’s economic reforms – including IMF-endorsed policies – demonstrate tangible progress.
“The positive impacts of the tough choices the president has made in the interest of the country are already being felt. Even the IMF recently acknowledged ‘Tinubu’s reforms have put the economy in a better position to navigate this external environment,’” he said, quoting IMF representative Ari Aisen Schimmelpfennig.
Dare declared: “In 2027, Baba-Ahmed and the other presidential Wannabes will need all the marines available to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Instead of running the circuit of television networks to peddle his poorly thought-out conjectures, Baba-Ahmed should seriously consider how to rehabilitate his failed political career… If he is smart, he will simply keep quiet and leave politics for those equipped for that complicated art.”