Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, ignored a warning against joining the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 elections, his former running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said.
Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, said Obi’s decision to join the ADC moved him out of his political “comfort zone” and eventually ended their close political collaboration.
He disclosed this while speaking on the MIC ON Podcast, where he recounted how he personally approached Obi at the Yar’Adua Centre before the former Anambra State governor joined the ADC.
According to Baba-Ahmed, he expressed his reservations about the party and advised Obi against moving to the platform.
“When he was going to join ADC, I had to go to Yar’Adua Centre ahead of him, I called him aside. They were worried. Why is Datti calling Peter Obi aside and talking to him?” he said.
Baba-Ahmed said he subsequently made his position known to Obi and warned that the ADC was not suitable for his political ambitions.
“And I told him, ‘This is the last time I’m coming to this place. I gave him my reasons. This is not a place for you.’ Was I wrong? I was proven right,” he said.
He further claimed that Obi’s subsequent departure from the ADC vindicated his earlier warning.
“Within four months, Peter Obi left ADC,” Baba-Ahmed said.
The former vice-presidential candidate also expressed concerns over what he described as inconsistencies in Obi’s political positions, although he declined to revisit his previous criticisms of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
“Now, I don’t like people who contradict themselves, and I don’t want to go into criticising again the politics of Atiku because that’s not what I’m about,” he said.
Explaining why he could no longer influence Obi’s political decisions, Baba-Ahmed said the former governor had chosen a different political path despite his counsel.
“Peter Obi moved out of his comfort zone against my advice. Beyond that point, I could no longer help him.”
Obi and Baba-Ahmed contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, finishing third behind Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Obi later joined the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections but subsequently announced his withdrawal from the party, amid disagreements over the coalition’s political direction.
