Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has revealed that sympathy for Peter Obi influenced his decision to join the party’s 2023 presidential ticket after, according to him, three senior politicians allegedly declined to align with Obi.
Speaking during an interview with Symfoni, on Tuesday, June 2, Baba-Ahmed said many people misunderstood the basis of his relationship with Obi, explaining that he felt compelled to support the former Anambra governor after observing what he described as political isolation.
According to him, Obi had approached three prominent politicians in 2022 in search of political partnership, but they allegedly turned him down.
Baba-Ahmed said the development disappointed him and strengthened his resolve to support Obi’s presidential ambition, although he declined to reveal the identities of those involved or why they allegedly refused to join him.
“They thought I would follow Peter Obi. People don’t understand between me and Peter Obi, I have a great deal of sympathy for him. And this sympathy was at the core of our relationship. People find it difficult to understand me,” Baba-Ahmed said.
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“When he, Peter Obi, approached three major politicians in 2022 they avoided him. I would have been glad if in 2022 one of them went with Peter Obi. They all avoided him. I felt bad for him and for Nigeria as a nation. You and I know the reason and I don’t have to say it now,” he added.
The former senator said his decision to run alongside Obi stemmed from what he believed was a national responsibility rather than personal political calculation.
“I took it upon myself because naturally I have always been a volunteer for Nigeria,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
He also dismissed claims that he would automatically follow Obi into any future political movement, including the African Democratic Congress, stressing that he remains politically independent.
Baba-Ahmed insisted that his support for Obi in 2023 did not mean surrendering control of his political future.
“They thought I would follow Peter Obi to ADC, but I had given enough sympathy then. Obi does not own me. I own my independence,” he said.