‘Obi left Atiku and lost, why can’t anyone leave him?’ – Datti

Datti Baba-Ahmed has challenged supporters of Peter Obi over the outrage sparked by his criticism of the former Anambra State governor, questioning why others should not be allowed to withdraw their support from him.

The former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate said Nigerians ignored his wider argument about the 2027 presidential election and instead seized on his comments about Obi.

Baba-Ahmed had recently declared that none of the leading presidential contenders—including Obi, whom he deputised in 2023—currently possessed the capacity to fix Nigeria.

The statement triggered criticism, particularly among supporters of the former Labour Party presidential candidate.

Speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics, Baba-Ahmed explained that he had been discussing the electoral prospects of President Bola Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar when 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?” he said.

Baba-Ahmed insisted that he was advocating a level playing field for every contender and was not campaigning for Atiku.

“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 explained.

According to him, he answered “yes” because the interview was running out of time, but that brief response soon overshadowed everything else he had discussed.

“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.

Datti Baba-Ahmed then questioned what he described as a political double standard surrounding Obi.

“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.

He also recalled opposing Obi’s decision to leave the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress, claiming he had tried to persuade him to remain.

“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,” Baba-Ahmed said.

The former Kaduna senator maintained that subsequent political developments had justified his concerns about Obi’s move.

He lamented that his arguments about democracy, Nigeria’s First Republic and political principles had been buried beneath the controversy surrounding one remark.

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

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