Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said none of the politicians challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election, including his former running mate, Peter Obi, can improve Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed made the statement during an interview on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.
Responding to a question about what advice he would give Tinubu regarding his leadership of the country, the former lawmaker said the President should prepare to leave office but should not hand over power to any of the politicians currently challenging him.
“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,” he said.
Asked whether he meant all the opposition candidates, Baba-Ahmed replied, “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.”
When asked specifically if he was referring to Peter Obi, he said, “Including Peter Obi, I’m sorry to say.”
Baba-Ahmed argued that Obi had been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party when it was the ruling party, while positioning himself as someone seeking “a whole new Nigeria”.
“Tell me one politician who has never been in a ruling party. Tell me,” he said.
However, when the host reminded him that he had also been involved in politics and served in the National Assembly, Baba-Ahmed maintained that he had never 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 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 said.
Baba-Ahmed stressed that his criticism was not simply about political parties, but about the political history of those seeking to challenge Tinubu in 2027.
Baba-Ahmed and Obi were the Labour Party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates respectively in the 2023 election.
The former later left the Labour Party for the Peoples Redemption Party, while Obi moved to the African Democratic Congress before joining the Nigeria Democratic Congress, which named him its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
