Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, has dismissed all the major politicians challenging President Bola Tinubu in 2027, including Obi, as incapable of improving Nigeria, while insisting Tinubu should still prepare to leave office at the end of his tenure.
The former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate made the comments during an interview on the MIC ON Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.
Asked what advice he would give Tinubu on the 2027 contest, Baba-Ahmed said: “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.”
Pressed on whether this included Obi, he responded: “Including Peter Obi, I’m sorry to say.”
Baba-Ahmed linked his position to the political histories of opposition figures, noting that Obi previously belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it was the ruling party, despite now seeking to lead a “whole new Nigeria.”
“Tell me one politician who has never been in a ruling party. Tell me,” he said, contrasting this with his own record: “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 resigned once the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) merged into the APC and the party came to power, insisting he never held an APC membership card.
Baba-Ahmed Reveals He Warned Obi Against Joining ADC
Baba-Ahmed disclosed that he had personally warned Obi against joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying he believed the platform was unsuitable for Obi’s political ambitions.
“When he was going to join ADC, I had to go to Yar’Adua Centre ahead of him, I called him aside… 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. Within four months, Peter Obi left ADC,” he said.
The former running mate added that Obi’s departure from the Labour Party marked the point beyond which he could no longer influence his former principal’s decisions: “Peter Obi moved out of his comfort zone against my advice. Beyond that point, I could no longer help him.”
Political Paths Diverge Ahead of a Crowded 2027 Field
Their partnership, which took Obi and Baba-Ahmed to a strong third-place finish in the 2023 election, with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) figures giving Tinubu 8,794,726 votes, Atiku Abubakar 6,984,520 and Obi 6,101,533, has since fractured.
Obi has now secured the presidential ticket of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for 2027, while Baba-Ahmed left the Labour Party in April and joined the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Baba-Ahmed separately described the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as the most corrupt Nigeria has experienced, telling the same podcast: “There has never been a corrupt government like Buhari’s government, and immoral government like Buhari’s government,” linking the assessment to what he called the administration’s failure to deliver a credible 2023 election.
He also stressed that his decision to join the PRP rather than follow Obi to the ADC was entirely his own.
“With due respect, Peter Obi does not own my politics, he does not own me. I am independent,” he said, adding that Obi remains aware of his reasoning. INEC has fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
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