Datti Baba-Ahmed, who served as Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, has disclosed that Obi moved beyond what he described as his political “comfort zone” despite his advice ahead of the 2027 election.
Baba-Ahmed made the disclosure during an interview on MIC ON Podcast, while responding to a question about whether his perception of Obi had changed since they campaigned together in 2023.
He said he personally advised Obi against joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC), arguing that the party was not an appropriate political platform for Obi’s ambitions.
Baba-Ahmed recalled that he went to the Yar’Adua Centre before Obi arrived, where he privately took him aside to explain his concerns about the proposed move.
“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.
According to Baba-Ahmed, he subsequently made his position clear to Obi and warned him that the ADC was not the right platform for his political aspirations.
“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,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He cited Obi’s eventual exit from the ADC as confirmation that his earlier concerns were justified.
“Within four months, Peter Obi left ADC,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed further suggested that Obi had moved away from a political stance he previously held, saying he was uncomfortable with what he regarded as inconsistencies in political behaviour.
“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.
He also explained that he could not have persuaded Obi to remain in the Labour Party because Obi had chosen not to follow his earlier advice.
“Peter Obi moved out of his comfort zone against my advice. Beyond that point, I could no longer help him,” he said.
Obi and Baba-Ahmed were the Labour Party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates respectively in the 2023 general election. They finished third in the presidential contest, behind Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
