Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the former running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, has declared that none of the major politicians positioning themselves to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027 has what it takes to improve Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed included Obi, his former political ally, among those he believes cannot provide the fundamental change the country needs.
He made the remarks during an interview on the MIC ON Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.
While criticising Tinubu’s potential challengers, the former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate said the President should also prepare to leave office when his tenure ends.
According to him, Tinubu should not seek another term, but neither should he hand power to any of the politicians currently presenting themselves as alternatives.
Asked what advice he would give Tinubu regarding his leadership and the 2027 election, 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,” Baba-Ahmed said.
When asked whether his assessment covered all the politicians challenging Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed stood by his position. He specifically included Obi when the former Anambra State governor was mentioned.
“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.
Asked to clarify whether Obi was also part of those he was referring to, Baba-Ahmed replied: “Including Peter Obi, I’m sorry to say.”
He explained that his position was partly informed by the political backgrounds of the opposition politicians seeking to present themselves as agents of change.
Baba-Ahmed argued that Nigerians looking for a different political direction should pay attention to the previous political affiliations of those seeking to replace the current administration.
He singled out Obi, noting that the former governor had previously been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, which was the ruling party at the time, even though he now presents himself as a candidate for a “whole new Nigeria.”
“Tell me one politician who has never been in a ruling party. Tell me,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also sought to distinguish his own political history from that of the politicians he criticised, insisting 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 the ANPP then,” he said.
He said he later resigned from the All Progressives Congress after the Congress for Progressive Change became part of the party and the APC subsequently formed the government.
Baba-Ahmed stressed that he never held an APC membership card.
His criticism of Obi was not limited to the former governor’s political history. He also faulted some of the decisions surrounding Obi’s political realignment ahead of the 2027 election.
Baba-Ahmed revealed that he personally advised Obi against joining the African Democratic Congress, saying he did not consider the party the right platform for his political ambitions.
He recalled meeting Obi at the Yar’Adua Centre before the proposed move and taking him aside to privately express his concerns.
“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.
According to Baba-Ahmed, he made his position clear to Obi during the conversation.
“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.
READ ALSO: Datti: Three Politicians Rejected Obi, I Joined Him Out Of Sympathy
He pointed to Obi’s subsequent departure from the ADC as evidence that his earlier concerns had been justified.
He said “Within four months, Peter Obi left ADC.”
Baba-Ahmed said Obi’s decision to move outside what he described as his comfort zone also 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 departure from the political partnership between Baba-Ahmed and Obi that culminated in their joint presidential bid under the Labour Party in 2023.
The duo emerged as one of the most prominent alternatives to the established political structures of the APC and PDP during that election.
Their political paths have since diverged considerably as both men pursue separate directions ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.
Obi has now secured the presidential ticket of the NDC for the 2027 election, while Baba-Ahmed left the Labour Party in April and announced his move to the Peoples Redemption Party.
Baba-Ahmed’s remarks come amid renewed efforts by opposition parties to build a broad coalition capable of mounting a serious challenge to the APC in 2027.
Despite his criticism of Tinubu’s challengers, however, he did not identify the President as his preferred choice for the next election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
In early September, representatives of several opposition parties, including the ADC, NDC, PDP, PRP, APM and SDP, began fresh discussions over the possibility of producing a single presidential candidate. Both Atiku and Obi, however, were absent from the meeting.
With the 2027 election approaching, the opposition faces the difficult task of balancing individual presidential ambitions, party interests and the demand for a united platform capable of mounting a credible challenge to the ruling APC.