Former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has publicly criticised his former running mate, Peter Obi, over his decision to leave the party, questioning the leadership approach behind the move.
Speaking in a strongly worded reaction, Baba-Ahmed expressed disappointment at what he described as Obi’s decision to exit the party amid internal disputes rather than confront them. “I stood and earned the wrath of many because I think we would come and reconcile in Labour Party,” he said, adding that he was taken aback to “hear, to read it, and view it in the news” that his former leader had moved on.
Baba-Ahmed argued that leadership requires resilience and confrontation, particularly in moments of political adversity. “A leader must be firm. However gentle you are, as a leader, you must be willing to fight,” he said. “Where’s the toughest place to fight as leader? When they are going to steal your victory, you don’t allow what happened in 2023.”
Referencing the aftermath of the 2023 general election, he claimed there was a “clear constitutional breach,” insisting he was left alone to challenge it. “They left only one person, me, to fight it. Nobody talked about it but me. You don’t do that. You must fight. If you don’t do that, don’t even come out. Stay in your house,” he stated.
While reiterating his criticism of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Baba-Ahmed maintained that Obi bore responsibility to remain within the Labour Party and resolve its internal crisis. “As much as I don’t believe and dislike what APC has been doing against Nigeria, but then someone who got Labour Party ticket so easily should have stayed back to fix the problem of the party however difficult it was,” he said.
He also took issue with Obi’s reported stance on conflict resolution, suggesting it contradicts the demands of national leadership. “I read and watched in the news, here’s my former leader and my boss whom I believed in so much saying wherever there’s a quarrel, he’ll walk away. So there’s a quarrel in Nigeria today, he will walk away? These are the things that don’t add up,” Baba-Ahmed added.
The comments come amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the next election cycle, with Obi’s reported defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) continuing to generate debate within opposition ranks. Observers say the public rift highlights deeper fractures within the Labour Party and raises questions about the cohesion of Nigeria’s opposition bloc moving forward.
