Nigeria Must Move Beyond North‑South Politics, Says Baba‑Ahmed

The national chairman of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Dr Hakeem Baba‑Ahmed, urged Nigerians to look beyond regional considerations when selecting leaders, emphasizing the importance of competence, integrity and vision.

Baba‑Ahmed made the statement during a feature on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series on Tuesday in Abuja.

NAN reported that the PRP chairman spoke against the backdrop of former Cross River governor Mr Donald Duke’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

He said the party had deliberately rejected zoning and regional entitlement politics, arguing that the country’s ongoing challenges required capable leaders rather than candidates chosen solely on geographic origin.

“As a northerner, I am completely comfortable supporting Donald Duke because he is the best candidate available to us, not because he comes from the South,” he said.

According to him, Nigerians must learn from past experiences and stop making leadership choices based on ethnic, religious or regional sentiment.

“We have reached a point where the country should ask who can solve our problems, not where the person comes from. The problems confronting Nigerians today are not northern or southern issues. Poverty, insecurity and unemployment affect every part of the country,” he added.

Baba‑Ahmed, a prominent northern politician, noted that all three aspirants who contested the PRP presidential ticket were from the southern part of the country, and that no northern aspirant had participated in the race.

He said that party members ultimately chose Duke through what he described as a transparent electoral process because they believed he possessed the leadership qualities needed to govern the country.

The PRP chairman criticised the growing tendency among politicians to exploit ethnic and regional divisions for political advantage, stating that such practices had weakened national cohesion and diverted attention from governance.

He argued that Nigeria’s future depends on embracing merit‑based leadership and building a political culture that rewards competence and performance.

He maintained that the PRP would continue to promote issue‑based politics and encourage Nigerians to evaluate candidates based on their records, character and capacity to deliver good governance.

Baba‑Ahmed expressed confidence that Duke’s candidacy would appeal to voters across regional, ethnic and religious divides, adding that the country needs leaders capable of uniting citizens around a common vision, peace, security and prosperity. (NAN)

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