Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has criticised the reactions to his recent comments about Peter Obi, saying the public focused more on his reference to the former Anambra State governor than on the wider political issues he raised ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Baba-Ahmed had recently sparked controversy during an interview with Seun Okinbaloye after stating that none of the major contenders for the 2027 presidency, including Obi, whom he ran alongside in the 2023 election, had the capacity to fix Nigeria.
However, while speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics, Baba-Ahmed explained that his comment about Obi came in the course of a broader discussion about President Bola Tinubu, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the need for a fair electoral process ahead of 2027.
According to him, he had been arguing that Tinubu should prepare to hand over power and provide a level playing field for all presidential candidates. He said the discussion initially centred on Tinubu and Atiku before the interviewer asked if his position also included 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.
He maintained that his position was based on fairness and did not amount to support for Atiku, noting 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 explained that because of the limited time available during the interview, he answered in the affirmative when asked whether Obi was also included. He said Nigerians subsequently concentrated on that particular response.
“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 presidential running mate also questioned why his criticism of Obi had generated strong reactions, arguing that politicians should be allowed to change political platforms without being treated differently.
“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?” Baba-Ahmed asked.
He further recalled his disagreement with Obi’s decision to leave the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying he had personally advised him against the move.
“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 subsequent developments had validated his concerns about Obi’s political move. He expressed frustration that his wider arguments about democracy, political principles and Nigeria’s political history were being overshadowed by his comments about the former Anambra governor.
“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.
Source: Trust TV
