Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, has said the former Anambra State governor deserves to lead the new ADC-led opposition coalition as its presidential candidate—not as a vice-presidential pick.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Thursday night, July 3, Baba-Ahmed argued that Obi’s performance in the last election makes him more than qualified to lead any opposition effort in 2027.
“The vice president’s position is a big one. I wanted it, and I was rigged out. But Peter Obi shouldn’t be anyone’s running mate after securing a contested 10 million votes,” he said.
He noted that the coalition’s potential presidential candidates appear to include Obi, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi. But he emphasized that Obi should not settle for the number two slot under any arrangement.
Baba-Ahmed also dismissed the idea that only a coalition of politicians could defeat President Bola Tinubu and the APC, pointing to the 2023 elections as proof.
“There was no coalition in the Labour Party, yet we defeated both the APC and PDP at the polls. The idea that only a coalition can beat Tinubu is a false narrative,” he said.
He added that the coalition Nigeria truly needs is not among political elites, but among voters.
“The real coalition is at the ballot box. It’s about protecting every single vote all the way to the final declaration,” he stated.