Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has explained his recent criticism of Peter Obi, saying Nigerians focused on his remarks about the former Anambra State governor while overlooking the broader point he was making about the 2027 presidential election.
Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, had attracted criticism following an interview with Seun Okinbaloye in which he said 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 comments about Obi were made in response to a specific question during a wider discussion about the 2027 election and the importance of ensuring a level playing field for all presidential candidates.
He explained that the initial discussion focused on the electoral prospects of President Bola Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar before the interviewer asked whether 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.
According to him, his argument was based on fairness and electoral equity, rather than an endorsement of Atiku. He stressed that he was not a member of Atiku’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 responded affirmatively to the question about Obi because of time pressure during the interview, but Nigerians subsequently concentrated on that brief response instead of the wider argument he had presented.
“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 the strong reaction to his remarks about Obi, arguing that politicians should be able to change political affiliations without being judged by 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), saying he had advised the former Anambra State governor against the move.
He said he made efforts to persuade Obi to remain in the Labour Party but was ultimately unable to stop 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 subsequent developments had vindicated his concerns about Obi’s political move.
He also expressed disappointment that his wider arguments concerning democracy, fairness and political principles received less attention than his comments about Obi.
“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
