…Says Obi, Atiku, others have been part of Nigeria’s political establishment
By Daud Olatunji
The 2023 Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has declared that none of the major politicians challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election has the capacity to transform Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed, who was the running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, made the declaration while featuring on the MicOn Podcast on Saturday.
He, however, said Tinubu should prepare to leave office at the end of his constitutionally allowed tenure, arguing that the president should not seek to extend his stay beyond two terms.
According to him, while Tinubu should hand over power, the alternatives currently being presented by the opposition do not represent the “new Nigeria” he advocates.
“I will simply advise uncle (Tinubu) to please prepare to hand over and move away, but not to the people contesting against him,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“Because none of them will improve Nigeria. All those people contesting against him too were all in bed together at some point or another — including Peter Obi. At some point, he was in PDP.”
Baba-Ahmed’s comments come amid increasing political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Tinubu seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
Among the prominent figures being linked to the contest are Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is associated with the African Democratic Congress.
Baba-Ahmed argued that the political history of the leading contenders raised questions about their ability to provide a fundamental departure from the system they had previously participated in.
He maintained that his call for a “new Nigeria” was rooted in his claim that, unlike other prominent contenders, he had never belonged to a political party that controlled the Federal Government.
“Tell me one politician who has never been in a ruling party. I’m the one. Have I ever been in a ruling party?” he asked.
The former lawmaker explained that although he was a member of the Congress for Progressive Change, he left before the party merged with other parties to form the APC.
“I have never been in a ruling party. When I was in CPC, it was a little opposition party,” he said.
“I never had an APC membership card.”
Baba-Ahmed also waded into the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s alleged records in the United States, questioning the consistency of Atiku’s criticism of the President over the matter.
He suggested that the former vice-president had not always pursued the issue with the same intensity.
The former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate further accused the Tinubu administration of weakening political parties, without providing further details on the allegation.
He nevertheless maintained that Tinubu had been given an opportunity to govern Nigeria but should not seek to remain in office beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms.
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