Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has revealed that sympathy for Peter Obi was a major reason he agreed to become his running mate in the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview with Symfoni, Baba-Ahmed said Obi had approached three prominent politicians in 2022 in search of a running mate, but none accepted the offer.
According to him, he felt compelled to step in because he sympathised not only with Obi’s political situation but also with the state of the country at the time.
“People don’t understand that between me and Obi, there is a great deal of sympathy. I have sympathy for him. And this sympathy was at the core of our relationship,” he said.
“When he approached three other major politicians in 2022, I would have been glad if one of them had gone with Peter Obi in 2022. But they all avoided him. I felt bad for him and I felt bad for Nigeria as a nation.”
Baba-Ahmed said his decision was voluntary and motivated by what he believed was Nigeria’s best interest.
“I took it upon myself because naturally I have always been a volunteer. For the sake of Nigeria, I extended that sympathy to him,” he said.
The former senator also criticised Obi’s decision to leave the Labour Party amid its leadership crisis.
Obi had formally joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as part of an opposition coalition before later moving to the Nigeria Democratic Congress alongside Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, citing uncertainty over the party’s future.
Baba-Ahmed argued that leadership disputes are common across political parties and should be addressed rather than abandoned.
“If Abure was a problem, what makes him think Nwosu or David Mark of ADC will not be a problem? What makes him think Seriake of NDC will not be a problem?” he asked.
“So it’s the same thing wherever you go. Stay here and fix the problem and let’s work together. But he decided to move.”
He further stressed that his political identity remains separate from Obi’s despite their alliance during the 2023 election.
“With due respect, he does not own my politics; he doesn’t own me. I am independent,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed has since aligned himself with the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) following his departure from the Labour Party.
