Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, has delivered a scathing assessment of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, declaring it the most corrupt and immoral administration in the history of Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed made the statement on Sunday, 6 September, during an episode of the “MIC On Podcast” hosted by prominent broadcast journalist Seun Okinbaloye, the former lawmaker argued that entrenched corruption doomed the former president’s entire governance agenda from the onset.
Reflecting on the nation’s ongoing economic struggles, Baba-Ahmed noted that policy frameworks, including those under the current government, cannot yield positive results as long as public corruption remains systemic. ”Whatever policy, however beautiful it is you bring, that is laced with corruption, it will never work,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
“Why did Buhari fail so spectacularly? It’s because of corruption… There has never been a corrupt government like Buhari’s government, and an immoral government like Buhari’s government.” Baba-Ahmed also singled out the 2023 presidential election, accusing the Buhari administration of breaking its commitment to deliver a transparent, technology-driven voting process.
After failing in all the indices that he promised, he turned to hunger,” Baba-Ahmed said. “He promised: ‘I have failed in ABC, but I promise you a free, fair, and legitimate election.’ What did we see on that Wednesday before the Saturday’s election in 2023?”
He further alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) electronic results platform was deliberately turned off on election day, forcing election workers to revert to manual collation—a move he categorized as part of the previous administration’s institutionalised decay.
He alleged that the deliberate shutting off of the electronic result transmission platform on election day undermined the credibility of the entire process. Neither representatives from former President Buhari’s camp nor official spokespersons for the All Progressives Congress (APC) have issued a formal response to Baba-Ahmed’s latest comments.
However, his statements add fuel to the continuing debates over the legacy of the 2015–2023 administration and its impact on Nigeria’s political and economic terrain.
