AHEAD of the National Convention of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) to pick a presidential candidate, former Spokesperson to Atiku Abubakar and convener of the Alternative Platform, Segun Showunmi has advised his former boss to take a break and allow younger contestants with fresh ideas to lead.

Showunmi who made the remark on Thursday evening during a live television programme on Arise Television also urged Nigerians to pay attention to competence and policy depth in arriving at presidential candidates .

The chieftain of the People’s Democratic party (PDP) argued that rather than allowing critical national conversations to be consumed entirely by political theatrics and personality contests, Nigerians must see the opportunity to make progress .

Showunmi also reflected on the role of his former principal, Atiku Abubakar, acknowledging the former Vice President’s place in Nigeria’s democratic history since 1999, suggesting that due to fatigue the country may now require a different kind of leadership energy to confront its present challenges

Segun Showunmi, the Nigerian politician, public affairs analyst, and media commentator best known for serving as spokesperson to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the 2019 and 2023 presidential campaigns under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described foremost economist and former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, as the strongest opposition candidate currently in the race for Nigeria’s presidency under the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

According to him after reviewing Hayatu-Deen’s credentials and experience, he believes the ADC aspirant represents the kind of leadership Nigeria urgently needs at this critical moment.

According to Showunmi, Hayatu-Deen possesses the economic competence, technocratic depth, and private sector experience necessary to confront Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis and reposition the country for sustainable growth.

“That is the guy that has the best CV,” Showunmi said. “He is a breath of fresh air. I think that he is quite brave to look at the political space and offer up his experience to serve.”

According to him, while Atiku possesses significant institutional memory and political experience, questions remain about whether the former Vice President still represents the kind of leadership Nigerians need at this particular moment in the country’s history.

Speaking on Rotimi Amaechi, Showunmi said: “I think Rotimi is running on entitlement and ambition. He must have convinced himself that just because he came second in the last presidential primaries of the APC, maybe one more try may make sense. I have tried very hard to listen to him say some big things that can excite me, but I have not heard them. That does not mean he cannot, but right now, he does not move me.”

While analysing Peter Obi, Showunmi acknowledged the former governor’s political energy and support base, but suggested that broader national consensus and coalition-building would remain critical to any successful presidential bid.

“I think that for Peter, there is energy there. Any fair-minded person knows that he has to be fair for his own bloc to be able to lead here,” he said.