Datti says Obi unlikely to clinch ADC presidential ticket

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has said it is unlikely that Peter Obi will secure the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress, citing entrenched interests and unresolved ambitions within the emerging opposition coalition.

Speaking in an interview on Trust TV, Baba-Ahmed said internal dynamics within the ADC made it difficult for any single aspirant to emerge unchallenged, adding that competing ambitions could frustrate Obi’s bid.

“I think it is very unlikely that Peter Obi will secure the ticket,” he said, though he added that he would be pleased if Obi succeeded.

Baba-Ahmed said Obi never invited him to join the ADC and explained that his decision to remain in the Labour Party was based on conviction rather than personal loyalty. He said the Labour Party existed before Obi and should not be defined by the exit of a single figure.

Responding to claims that the party lost relevance after Obi’s departure, Baba-Ahmed said such arguments were driven by social media narratives and ignored the party’s broader history. He acknowledged Obi’s impact in the 2023 election but said political movements were built collectively.

Read Also: Poverty deepening in Nigeria as politicians jostle for power, says Peter Obi

He said most of the key figures now aligned with the ADC, apart from Obi, were former leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress and had not fundamentally changed. That, he said, was a major reason he declined to consider the ADC as an alternative platform.

Baba-Ahmed also pointed to the ambitions of figures such as Atiku Abubakar, who has publicly said he would not step down for another aspirant, as further evidence of the hurdles Obi could face within the ADC.

He said if Obi failed to secure the ADC ticket and chose to return to the Labour Party, he would support him and work to reconcile internal differences. Baba-Ahmed dismissed suggestions that his own political relevance depended on Obi, saying his career predated their alliance and that he had never lost an election.

On the broader political landscape, he said the APC’s strength was overstated and largely sustained by compromised institutions, adding that a credible election in 2027 would defeat the ruling party regardless of the opposition candidate.

“The Labour Party is where I chose to stay,” he said. “It is not about convenience. It is about promise.”

Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe is a writer and journalist who covers business, finance, technology, and the changing forces shaping Nigeria’s economy. He focuses on turning complex ideas into clear, compelling stories.

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