Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has revealed that his decision to run alongside Mr. Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election was influenced by sympathy after three prominent politicians allegedly declined to align with him.
Speaking in an interview with Symfoni, Baba-Ahmed explained that many Nigerians have long misunderstood the exact nature of his political relationship with Obi.
He disclosed that ahead of the 2023 polls, the former Anambra State governor approached three major political figures to join his movement, but they all actively avoided him.
Baba-Ahmed stated that he felt deeply disappointed by the situation, both for Obi and for Nigeria as a nation, which compelled him to step in as a volunteer and accept the vice-presidential slot. While he acknowledged the underlying reasons for their rejection, he declined to disclose the identities of the politicians or their specific motives.
Notedly, Peter Obi was recently announced as the 2027 presidential flagbearer for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), while Baba-Ahmed has moved on to the Nigeria Peoples Movement (NPM).
Addressing speculations about his political future, the former senator dismissed suggestions that he would automatically follow his former principal to any new political platform, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He maintained that while his support for the 2023 Labour Party ticket was a voluntary sacrifice made in the interest of the country, he remains independent and is not obligated to mirror Obi’s political decisions.
“They thought I would follow Peter Obi,” Baba-Ahmed said during the interview. “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. When he 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. I took it upon myself because naturally I have always been a volunteer for Nigeria. 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.”