Sowunmi Knocks Baba-Ahmed Over Tinubu Criticism, Calls Him ‘Northern Kid’
Sowunmi, who spoke on Vanguard’s Politics Hub on Wednesday, dismissed Baba-Ahmed’s assessment of Tinubu’s administration, describing him as a “Northern kid”.
Baba-Ahmed had argued that although Tinubu inherited a country grappling with weak institutions, poverty and insecurity, the president had spent three and a half years in office without delivering the expected results.
Reacting, Sowunmi said Baba-Ahmed’s criticism reflected a failure to confront the challenges facing Northern Nigeria and examine the responsibilities of the region’s leaders.
“That’s a Northern kid. What did I say? He’s a Northern kid. When you behave like a kid, you are a kid,” he said.
Sowunmi, who said he grew up and attended school in Kaduna, questioned the impact of resources allocated to the North over the years.
“All the resources that have been allocated to the North, where is the result?” he asked.
He also referenced the legacies of former Northern leaders, including Tafawa Balewa and Ahmadu Bello, questioning whether they would be satisfied with the region’s current state of development.
The PDP chieftain urged Northern leaders to address the region’s challenges honestly instead of focusing their criticism on leaders from outside it. He also described Baba-Ahmed as a “rabble-rousing little rat” and insisted that the PRP chairman did not speak for the entire North.
Asked whether he was concerned that the criticism came from a Northern elder, Sowunmi said the forthcoming elections would provide a clearer indication of political support.
“They can make their comments. We are going to the polls. Data would tell you that those that are the critical territorial commanders of votes, they know themselves,” he said.
Sowunmi, who convenes The Alternative, also discussed the influence of religious leaders and their followers on political choices, citing Islamic cleric Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
He questioned whether El-Zakzaky and his followers would necessarily oppose Tinubu, referring to reports that the president provided a private jet for the cleric to attend the funeral of his leader in Iran.
Sowunmi contrasted the reported gesture with what he described as the treatment El-Zakzaky and his family had received from those he accused of harming them, arguing that political choices could not be determined solely by individual leaders’ criticisms.
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