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•Says state police targeted at 2027, not security
By Sola Ojo, Abuja
The former Political Adviser in the presidency and National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, has launched one of his strongest attacks yet on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declaring that the President has failed to tackle Nigeria’s fundamental challenges despite spending more than three years in office, while warning that the current push for state police is driven more by political calculations ahead of the 2027 general election than by genuine security concerns.
In this wide ranging interview, Baba Ahmed argues that although Nigeria urgently needs comprehensive security reforms and restructuring, introducing state police under the current administration would hand governors enormous political powers capable of influencing elections. He accuses the Tinubu administration of failing to reform the Federal Police, improve military effectiveness or address worsening insecurity, insisting that the government is merely presenting state police as a silver bullet while neglecting deeper structural problems.
A Federal High Court in Kogi has just ruled against the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress. Do you think the PRP can be deregistered, and would the late Mallam Aminu Kano sleep peacefully in his grave?
No. We are proud of our history. We survived difficult periods before and we will survive this one as well.
You issued a statement against the establishment of state police by this administration. Is the opposition simply opposing state police because of politics?
No. This is not merely an opposition issue, it is a Nigerian issue. Nigerians have very little confidence in this administration’s sincerity in addressing insecurity. We need to restructure Nigeria, not just the police. The PRP has consistently advocated restructuring because we genuinely believe the country is not working for anyone, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or region. Security reform should form part of that restructuring, but not through an opportunistic and piecemeal approach.
So, do we need state police?
We certainly need to reform policing because the institution has failed badly. Whether you call it state police or something else is not the real issue. The police have collapsed, forcing the military to perform duties that ordinarily belong to the police. However, there are many reasons not to implement state police now, certainly not under the APC administration.
Critics argue that delaying state police means more Nigerians could die…
President Tinubu still has many options available. He remains Commander in Chief. He has the military, the police and the intelligence agencies. There are numerous actions he could take immediately to improve security, but he has not done so. Instead, the government has picked one issue, put it on the table and presented it as the solution. It is not.
So, you believe state police is more political than security driven?
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Yes. The government is creating the impression that it is solving insecurity while pursuing a political objective. We believe introducing state police at this stage could influence the 2027 elections. If the government genuinely believes state police is necessary, then it should seek a fresh mandate from Nigerians in 2027 and implement it afterwards.
The government argues that community policing through state police is exactly what security experts have recommended.
Nigerians generally agree that our entire security architecture requires reform, but reforms must be undertaken by a government that enjoys public confidence. This administration has very little credibility. If it proceeds with state police now, it will likely do so because it controls the National Assembly, enjoys the support of most governors and commands significant influence over state assemblies, not because it has convinced Nigerians.
If your party were in government, what would you have done differently?
We would have started security reforms two or three years ago. President Tinubu inherited a difficult security situation but has spent more than three years doing virtually nothing meaningful to strengthen policing. He has not significantly improved recruitment, funding, morale or operational efficiency within the Federal Police. Instead, he now wants to create state police and hand governors their own police formations. That is not genuine security reform.
You once served in this administration. What did you discover before leaving?
There was no trade secret. What I learned was how a government can waste a historic opportunity. President Tinubu came into office with impressive credentials. Nigerians expected him to tackle insecurity, corruption and the cost of living crisis. Instead, insecurity has worsened, poverty has increased and corruption remains widespread. We keep hearing that government revenues are increasing, yet Nigerians are becoming poorer. How do you describe such a presidency except to say it has failed to deliver? But politically, the APC continues to attract governors and win elections. That does not necessarily demonstrate competence. It simply shows that politicians believe joining the APC increases their chances of remaining in office. Competence is measured by governance, integrity and service delivery, not by political defections.
The APC has also won several recent elections, including by elections and in Ekiti. Isn’t the opposition underestimating President Tinubu?
Opposition parties have faced enormous pressure. Whether true or not, many Nigerians believe the APC uses institutions such as the judiciary and INEC against opposition parties. The APC should ask itself why so many Nigerians have formed that perception. Despite this, the party still believes it will record a landslide victory in 2027. I think it has become overconfident.
Can anyone realistically defeat the APC in 2027?
Yes, absolutely. Nigerians are desperate for good leadership. They want leaders who can govern honestly, fight insecurity, create opportunities for young people and unite the country. These qualities are found in our presidential candidate, Donald Duke. The APC appears more interested in winning elections than reflecting on whether it is governing well. Reports and allegations of vote buying in recent elections illustrate why many Nigerians are becoming increasingly concerned about the quality of our democracy.
