2027: Obi, Atiku can’t fix Nigeria – Datti Baba-Ahmed

Former Labour Party presidential running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said neither Peter Obi nor other politicians seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election can provide the change Nigeria needs.

Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, also advised Tinubu to prepare to leave office at the expiration of his tenure, while cautioning him against handing power to any of the leading opposition figures currently positioning themselves for the presidency.

The former lawmaker made the remarks during an interview on the MIC ON Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.

Asked what advice he would give Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election, Baba-Ahmed said the president should quit office but not surrender power to any of his current challengers.

“I will simply advise uncle (Tinubu) to please prepare to hand over and move away, but not to the people contesting against him because none of them will improve Nigeria,” Baba-Ahmed said.

He maintained that his assessment covered all the major politicians preparing to challenge Tinubu, including his former political ally, Obi.

“None of that part. Tinubu should leave the stage. All those people contesting against him, too, they were all in bed together at some point or another,” he said.

When specifically asked if Obi was included among those he was referring to, Baba-Ahmed replied: “Including Peter Obi, I’m sorry to say.”

He based his argument partly on the political backgrounds of the opposition politicians, urging Nigerians to look beyond their current platforms and consider their previous associations with established political parties.

Baba-Ahmed particularly questioned Obi’s political history, noting that the former Anambra State governor had previously been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, which controlled the Federal Government for several years.

“Tell me one politician who has never been in a ruling party. Tell me,” he said.

In contrast, Baba-Ahmed defended his own political history, arguing that he had not belonged to a ruling party.

“I have never been in a ruling party. While I was in CPC, CPC was the leading opposition party, even above the ANPP then,” he said.

He explained that he later resigned from the All Progressives Congress after the Congress for Progressive Change became part of the coalition that formed the APC and the party subsequently took control of the Federal Government.

According to him, he never obtained an APC membership card.

Baba-Ahmed also revealed that he had personally cautioned Obi against joining the African Democratic Congress, insisting that he believed the platform was unsuitable for his former running mate.

He said he approached Obi privately at the Yar’Adua Centre before the latter’s move to the ADC and expressed his concerns about the decision.

“When he was going to join ADC, I had to go to Yar’Adua Centre ahead of him, I called him aside. They were worried. Why is Datti calling Peter Obi aside and talking to him?” he said.

Baba-Ahmed said he made his position clear to Obi and warned that the ADC was not the right political platform for him.

“And I told him, ‘This is the last time I’m coming to this place. I gave him my reasons. This is not a place for you.’ Was I wrong? I was proven right,” he said.

He pointed to Obi’s subsequent exit from the ADC as vindication of his earlier warning.

“Within four months, Peter Obi left ADC.”

Baba-Ahmed added that Obi’s decision to disregard his advice eventually ended his ability to influence the former governor’s political choices.

“Peter Obi moved out of his comfort zone against my advice. Beyond that point, I could no longer help him,” he said.

The comments represent a significant deterioration in the political relationship between the two men, who jointly contested the 2023 presidential election on the Labour Party platform.

Obi and Baba-Ahmed emerged as major challengers to the established APC and PDP political structures during that election, with Obi particularly attracting substantial support from younger and urban voters.

Their political paths have since diverged. Obi has moved on to another political platform ahead of the 2027 contest, while Baba-Ahmed left the Labour Party in April and announced his move to the Peoples Redemption Party.

The former vice-presidential candidate’s comments came amid renewed efforts by opposition parties to build a coalition capable of mounting a serious challenge to Tinubu in 2027.

Representatives of several opposition parties, including the ADC, NDC, PDP, PRP, APM and SDP, have recently held discussions over the possibility of fielding a common presidential candidate.

The ongoing realignment has further complicated the political landscape ahead of the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.

Obi’s political journey has also involved a series of changes in party affiliation. He left the PDP in May 2022 ahead of its presidential primary and joined the Labour Party shortly afterwards. He subsequently secured the LP presidential ticket and selected Baba-Ahmed as his running mate.

The duo finished third in the 2023 presidential election. Official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission gave Tinubu of the APC 8,794,726 votes, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP 6,984,520 and Obi 6,101,533.

Although Obi came third, his campaign significantly expanded the Labour Party’s national profile and gave rise to the “Obidient” movement, which developed into a major political constituency beyond the party’s conventional structure.

His subsequent departure from the Labour Party and movement into the ADC formed part of the wider opposition repositioning ahead of the 2027 election.

With the opposition once again considering a united front against Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed’s rejection of Obi, Atiku and other potential challengers adds another dimension to the struggle to determine who can emerge as the strongest alternative to the incumbent president.