Datti Baba-Ahmed Clarifies Criticism Of Peter Obi, Says Nigerians Missed His Point

Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has clarified his recent criticism of Peter Obi, saying Nigerians focused on his remarks about the former Anambra State governor instead of the broader argument he was making about the 2027 presidential election.

Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, had sparked controversy during an interview with Seun Okinbaloye after saying that none of the major contenders for the 2027 presidency, including Obi, had the capacity to fix Nigeria.

However, speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics, Baba-Ahmed said his reference to Obi came in response to a specific question during a broader discussion about the 2027 election and the need for President Bola Tinubu to ensure a level playing field for all presidential contenders.

He explained that the discussion had initially centred on the electoral prospects of Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar before the interviewer asked whether his position also applied to Obi.

“Tinubu does not have enough votes to win, if Atiku is the leading challenger, Atiku does not have who to declare him. Do you now see the problem?” Baba-Ahmed said.

According to him, his position was based on the principle of fairness and did not amount to an endorsement of Atiku, stressing that he was not a member of the former vice-president’s political party.

“I said it is just equity, give a level playing ground to all of them. That’s what happened. Seun now added, including Peter Obi?” he said.

Baba-Ahmed said he answered in the affirmative largely because of time constraints during the interview, but Nigerians subsequently focused on the brief response rather than the larger issue he was discussing.

“Now, because of time and stress and all that, it was on Friday and to get the question out of the way, I said, ‘Yes, including Peter Obi’ and then, that is what Nigerians took,” he said.

The former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate also questioned why his comments about Obi had generated strong reactions, arguing that politicians should be free to change political affiliations without being subjected to different standards.

“Now, it is okay for Peter Obi to leave Atiku in 2022, go to another party, share the votes and lose it but it is not okay for anybody to leave Peter Obi. What kind of country are we in? Am I not a Nigerian?” he asked.

Baba-Ahmed also revisited Obi’s decision to leave the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), revealing that he had advised the former governor against the move.

He said he had made efforts to keep Obi within the Labour Party but was unable to prevent his departure.

“We were in Labour Party and he had been cancelled as the presidential candidate since 2024. I did everything to keep Peter Obi in, he moved out to ADC and I told him, it is not a place for you,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed maintained that his concerns over Obi’s political move had since been vindicated, while expressing disappointment that his broader arguments about democracy, fairness and political principles had received less attention.

“I went there to discuss democracy, to discuss the First Republic, I went there and brought solid principles, solid arguments, put forward. It didn’t matter to anybody. That is how low political discussions have become,” he said.