Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed’s recent outburst that Peter Obi and other presidential candidates across the political divide, except perhaps, those in his current party, lack what it takes to redeem Nigeria from its present quagmire, has brought the former Labour Party presidential running mate under serious scrutiny.
For keen observers, his outburst could be the eruption of a tightly subdued political volcano whose consequences may extend beyond Baba-Ahmed himself to the wider political class. Could this, once again, affirm that old political maxim that there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests?
Baba-Ahmed is one of the more intellectually distinctive figures to have emerged in contemporary Nigerian politics. An economist, businessman, educationist and politician, he has built a significant profile, particularly as the founder of Baze University, Abuja – a prestigious institution by virtually any parameter.
No doubt, he achieved his greatest national political prominence when, in July 2022, he was selected as the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party alongside Peter Obi for the 2023 presidential election. The choice was politically significant. Beyond the credentials he brought to the ticket, it was expected to strengthen the Obi candidacy in Northern Nigeria, particularly among Northern Muslim voters.
Coming from a well-respected family and carrying an unusual mix of credentials, Baba-Ahmed appeared to bring several advantages to the ticket: Northern Nigerian political identity; a strong academic background; experience in both chambers of the National Assembly; business and entrepreneurial experience; Islamic and Northern establishment credentials; and, perhaps most importantly, a reputation for independence and outspoken political views.
The Obi/Datti ticket resonated with millions of young Nigerians across the country. It was touted by many as a political masterstroke that shook the foundations of the established political order. Their perceived integrity and character, together with their promise of a different political direction, connected with Nigerians in a way that few political movements had done before. And a movement was born.
Baba-Ahmed traversed the length and breadth of the country, projecting his principal, Peter Obi, in glowing colours and articulating their manifesto and covenant with the Nigerian people. Few people on that 2023 political train could have come as close to Peter Obi as Baba-Ahmed did.
Such close interaction would ordinarily make one another an open book. Baba-Ahmed would have seen sides of Obi that many Nigerians could not have seen. Yet both men, like an inseparable, love-struck couple, went the entire hog – all the way to the Supreme Court – seeking to reclaim what they believed was their mandate as the winners of the 2023 presidential election.
The political conjugation between the two men remained largely rosy and peaceful until Peter Obi decided to join the ADC, effectively ending what had appeared to be a continuing political partnership with Baba-Ahmed as his likely vice-presidential running mate in the 2027 presidential election.
Baba-Ahmed has since spoken publicly, albeit in measured bursts, warning Obi against what he appears to regard as a godless union with the people of the ADC. He sat in the front row at that August meeting, but apparently could not stomach the optics of what he considered a union of strange bedfellows – one that, in his view, diminished what he and Obi represented.
He has told Nigerians that everything he warned Obi about regarding his association with those people has come to pass, and that Obi has already had his fingers burnt.
So, what precisely is Datti Baba-Ahmed trying to tell Nigerians when he says Peter Obi does not have what it takes to lead the nation?
If one were to hazard a safe guess, is he saying Peter Obi was a fluke? Does he mean Obi was grossly incompetent all along and merely masqueraded as a messiah?
Was the Obi/Datti ticket therefore a lie – or a grand political sham designed to seize power by any means necessary, only to unleash an incompetent leadership on Nigerians had they won?
Was Baba-Ahmed actually the intelligent half of the ticket? Would he have had to constantly rein Obi in had they won? Or did Obi suddenly begin to deteriorate the very moment he contemplated leaving Baba-Ahmed behind in the 2027 presidential race?
These are not insignificant questions.
Datti’s outburst has undoubtedly left a sour taste in the mouth of many Nigerians. A careful observation of his recent interview seems to suggest that there is more he could reveal about Peter Obi’s character if he is pushed further.
Could it be that Baba-Ahmed’s Peter Obi was only a carefully packaged political projection of a man whose true character Nigerians never really knew?
Who, then, is Peter Obi from the prism of Datti Baba-Ahmed?
Staunch Obi supporters have gone after Baba-Ahmed, who appears neither intimidated nor prepared to retreat. He is known to speak his mind, no matter whose horse is gored.
But his critics have also raised another interesting question: what exactly was Datti Baba-Ahmed’s contribution to the over six million votes garnered by the Obi/Datti ticket in the 2023 presidential election?
For a man who, according to claims circulating in the political space, was said to have lost his own polling unit, ward, local government, state and even his region, did Baba-Ahmed really come to the ticket with sufficient political capital of his own?
Was his contribution mainly intellectual, strategic and symbolic rather than electoral?
And is he speaking now from political conviction, genuine concern for Nigeria, or the pain of being left behind in the unfolding 2027 equation?
Could this simply be the ranting of a disgruntled and politically divorced spouse?
Nigerians may not have heard the last from Datti Baba-Ahmed.
This electoral season could yet become far more interesting as Peter Obi’s political character and record come under stronger scrutiny from someone who once occupied the closest possible political space beside him.
Baba-Ahmed may have opened a door he cannot easily shut.
The question is whether what comes through that door will be another chapter in Nigeria’s endless political drama, a revealing political reckoning – or simply another Lord’s Supper in which former allies discover that yesterday’s bread can become today’s weapon.
For now, it looks increasingly like a symphony of confusion, with one of the principal members of the 2023 electoral orchestra suddenly changing the tune.