The Nigeria Democratic Congress pushed back Sunday against Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, Peter Obi’s 2023 running mate, after he argued that none of the politicians lining up to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027 — Obi included — have what it takes to turn the country around.
Baba-Ahmed made the remarks during a weekend appearance on the Mic On Podcast, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye. He said Tinubu should be preparing to leave office in 2027 but cautioned against handing power to any of his current challengers, arguing they had all cycled through Nigeria’s existing political establishment at one point or another. Pressed on whether that critique extended to Obi specifically, Baba-Ahmed said it did, adding, “I’m sorry to say.”
The NDC, which named Obi its presidential flag-bearer for 2027 after he left the African Democratic Congress in May, said through national publicity secretary Osa Director that Baba-Ahmed was entitled to his opinion but suggested the criticism was inconsistent, given that he had chosen to run alongside Obi in the 2023 election. Director asked why Baba-Ahmed would have partnered with a candidate he now says lacks the capacity to fix the economy.
A separate NDC official, Theo Abu Agada, was more pointed in his response, dismissing Baba-Ahmed on social media as a “bitter ex” and suggesting his comments stemmed from being passed over when Obi picked a new running mate — former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso — after leaving the Labour Party.
Obi addressed the criticism directly in a separate interview previewed Monday, pointing to his record as Anambra State governor as evidence he could replicate similar improvements nationally. He said his administration would focus on cutting the cost of governance, curbing corruption and restoring order to public administration.
The exchange marks a further rupture between the two men since their joint run in 2023. Baba-Ahmed has said he warned Obi against leaving the Labour Party for the ADC earlier this year, a move Obi ultimately reversed by exiting the ADC for the NDC before securing its presidential nomination in May.
