Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 election, has opened up about his political alliance with Peter Obi, admitting he stepped into the role out of sympathy for the former Anambra governor. In a candid interview with Symfoni, Baba-Ahmed explained that his decision was not fueled by personal ambition or political calculation, but by a deep emotional response to Obi’s predicament.
According to Baba-Ahmed, Obi had approached three prominent politicians in 2022 to serve as his running mate, but each one turned him down. “I have sympathy for him. And this sympathy was at the core of our relationship,” Baba-Ahmed said. He described the period as emotionally and politically unsettling, adding, “When he approached three other major politicians in 2022, I would have been glad if one of them had gone with Peter Obi. But they all avoided him. I felt bad for him and I felt bad for Nigeria as a nation.”
The former senator insisted his involvement was voluntary, driven by a sense of duty rather than strategy. “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 Obi-Baba-Ahmed ticket became a major force in the 2023 election, drawing national attention. But their alliance has since fractured, with public disagreements over party strategy and direction. Obi has since left the Labour Party, briefly aligning with the African Democratic Congress and later with former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, citing internal uncertainties.
Baba-Ahmed has criticized Obi’s decision to abandon the Labour Party amid its leadership crisis involving factional disputes tied to Julius Abure. He argued that political instability is not unique to any platform. “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 questioned. “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.”
Baba-Ahmed also pushed back against the notion that his political identity is tied to Obi. “With due respect, he does not own my politics; he doesn’t own me. I am independent,” he asserted. Since the 2023 elections, Baba-Ahmed has aligned with the Peoples Redemption Party, marking another shift in his political journey.
