Former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said he doubts Peter Obi’s chances of clinching the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing entrenched interests and unresolved ambitions within the emerging coalition.
Speaking in an interview on Trust TV, Datti insists that Obi never invited him to join the ADC, and says the former Anambra State governor is free to return to the Labour Party if denied the ADC ticket.
“Peter Obi did not invite me to join him in the ADC. People know me; there are certain things you would rather not approach me with. Our personal relationship remains solid. On the 12th, he attended a wedding in my house, in person.
“I have immense respect for Peter Obi. If he does not get the ADC ticket and decides to return, I will work for him and try to secure the Labour Party ticket for him. I will also try to mend fences between him and anyone he is not on good terms with.
“I supported Peter Obi’s presidential ambition with all my heart and mind because, at that time, it was the right thing to do. In 2027, a northerner can be elected. The North did not start this; the South did”.
Continuing, Datti said, “qlmost everyone in the ADC today, except Peter Obi, are people who helped establish the APC that is misruling Nigeria. Why should I walk into that trap again?
“There are individuals I respect greatly, Atiku Abubakar, for instance. Amaechi is a fighter, a lion, an achiever. With the right environment and allies, he can do well. But aside from Obi, the ADC is made up of the same APC actors of 2015.
“They do not have a Buhari. They do not have a Tinubu, who was focused, determined, resourced and experienced. They also do not have a Jonathan figure. These three factors alone are enough for me to stay away.
“Most importantly, these are the people who created the APC dragon that is destroying Nigeria today. Nothing has fundamentally changed about them. One of them is in prison”.
Responding to a question if f Peter Obi were to call today and ask him to join the ADC, Datti said, “With due respect, I would decline. When he ought to have invited me, he did not. We only met at the sole conference I attended, and that was the day I hoped to be convinced. I was not. Even then, I shared my reservations with him”.
