2027: Northern votes not reserved for northern candidates —Baba-Ahmed

By Musa Baba Adamu

A former presidential adviser Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has dismissed the notion that presidential candidates from Northern Nigeria automatically enjoy electoral support from the region, insisting that voters are becoming more concerned with competence and performance than geographical origin.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, monitored in Abuja, on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed said many Nigerians have become disillusioned with voting based solely on ethnic or regional considerations.
According to him, northern voters have increasingly moved away from the belief that sharing a regional identity with a candidate is enough reason to support such a person at the polls.
“Most northerners have moved away from the idea that just coming from the North is enough to get our votes,” he said.
He added that voters in the South have also begun to reassess political choices based on regional sentiments, arguing that lessons from previous elections have encouraged a more critical evaluation of candidates.
Questioning the logic behind zoning arguments, Baba-Ahmed asked why presidential power should be restricted to certain ethnic groups within a region if regional origin is considered a decisive factor.
“If coming from the southern part of the country is an advantage, why does it have to be a Yoruba man being President for four years, why not pick an Edo man or somebody from the South-East?” he queried.
The former aide to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu maintained that the worsening economic and security situation in the country would likely shape voting decisions ahead of the 2027 general election.
He argued that issues such as poverty, insecurity and the daily struggles faced by Nigerians are more likely to influence electoral outcomes than regional affiliations.
“I don’t think Nigerians would vote purely on regional terms. I think Nigerians will look at how we are being killed every day on the street, how poverty has eaten deep,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
He expressed optimism that voters would support candidates they consider capable of addressing the country’s challenges and delivering meaningful change.
“I think we are overrating this idea that coming from one part of the country qualifies you or puts you at a disadvantage of winning an election,” he added.
His remarks come amid growing political debates over zoning, power rotation and possible alignments ahead of the 2027 presidential election.