None of Tinubu’s opponents can improve Nigeria — including Peter Obi, says Datti Baba-Ahned
Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, says President Bola Tinubu’s opponents in the 2027 election cannot improve Nigeria.
Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is seeking a second term in office.
Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are Tinubu’s major opponents.
The 2027 presidential election will be a repeat of the 2023 poll; however, Obi was in LP at the time while Atiku was the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking on the MicOn Podcast on Saturday, Baba-Ahmed said none of the leading candidates for 2027 has the capacity to move the country forward.
Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in 2023, said the former governor of Anambra and the other contenders are among the breed of politicians who brought Nigeria to its current state.
“I will simply advise uncle(Tinubu) to please prepare to hand over and move away, but not to the people contesting against him,” he 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.”
The former lawmaker said he is calling for a “new Nigeria”, noting that he is the only politician who has never been a member of a ruling party.
“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 said.
Baba-Ahmed said that although he was a member of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), he resigned before it 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 weighed in on the controversy over the president’s records in the United States.
He queried why Atiku was “at the forefront of tormenting” Tinubu over his records when he had been quiet about the matter in the past.
The former vice-presidential candidate added that Tinubu has been given an opportunity to lead but should not seek to extend his stay in power.
Baba-Ahmed said Tinubu has “qualified himself for divine intervention,” accusing the president of turning the country against political parties.
“All he did in three years was to destroy political parties,” he said.
