Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, stated that none of President Tinubu’s opposition or challengers in the 2027 election—including his former running mate, Peter Obi—possesses the capacity to improve Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed made the assertion during an appearance on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, which aired on Saturday.
His remarks were in response to a question regarding what counsel he would offer President Tinubu concerning his administration’s governance of the country.
He urged the President to prepare for an exit from office, while advising him against surrendering power to any of his current political opponents.
Datti 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.”
When asked whether he meant all Tinubu’s opposition candidates, Baba-Ahmed replied, “None of that part. Tinubu ought to step off the stage. At one point or another, all the candidates running against him were in bed together.”
When the host asked whether he meant Peter Obi, Baba-Ahmed replied, “Including Peter Obi, I’m sorry to say.”
Baba-Ahmed claimed that Obi was advocating for “a whole new Nigeria” despite previously belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party when it held power.
“Tell me one politician who has never been in a ruling party. Tell me,” he said.
“I have never been in a ruling party. While I was in CPC, CPC was the leading opposition party, even above ANPP then. When they merged with APC and came to power, you have my letter of resignation from the then, uh, APC because… even though I was, because I have never had a card, a membership card of APC. Never. I never had a membership card of APC,” he added.
However, he clarified that his criticism was not based solely on party affiliation, but on what he described as the political history of those seeking to challenge Tinubu.
Backstory…
Recall that Baba-Ahmed and Obi were the Labour Party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates respectively in the 2023 election.
Their 2023 campaign became one of the biggest political stories of that election. The Obi-Baba-Ahmed ticket attracted significant support, particularly among young Nigerians and voters seeking an alternative to the established APC and PDP political structure. They eventually finished third with about 6.1 million votes, behind Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.
Baba-Ahmed was also one of the most vocal figures in Obi’s post-election challenge to the result. He publicly defended the Labour Party’s position and remained closely associated with the movement that emerged around Obi after the election.
Read Also: Datti Baba-Ahmed Reveals Why He Joined Peter Obi’s 2023 Campaign
