Politics
I followed Peter Obi out of sympathy, three politicians rejected him – Datti Baba-Ahmed
Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said his decision to run alongside Mr Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election was influenced by sympathy for Obi after three prominent politicians allegedly declined to join him.
Speaking in an interview with Symfoni, Baba-Ahmed said many people misunderstood the nature of his relationship with Obi, stressing that sympathy played a significant role in his decision to support the former Anambra State governor.
According to him, Obi approached three major politicians in 2022, but none agreed to align with him.
Baba-Ahmed said he was disappointed by the situation and felt compelled to support Obi’s presidential bid.
He, however, declined to disclose the identities of the politicians or the reasons they allegedly refused to join Obi.
Baba-Ahmed also dismissed suggestions that he would automatically follow Obi into any future political platform, including the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
He stated that while he had supported Obi’s presidential ambition in 2023, he remains politically independent and is not obligated to follow the former Labour Party candidate’s political decisions.
The former senator emphasized that Obi does not control his political choices and maintained that his support for the Labour Party ticket was a voluntary decision made in what he believed was the interest of Nigeria.
He said: “They thought I would follow Peter Obi. People don’t understand between me and Peter Obi, I have a great deal of sympathy for him. And this sympathy was at the core of our relationship. People find it difficult to understand me.
“When he, Peter Obi, approached three major politicians in 2022 they avoided him. I would have been glad if in 2022 one of them went with Peter Obi. They all avoided him. I felt bad for him and for Nigeria as a nation. You and I know the reason and I don’t have to say it now.
“I took it upon myself because naturally I have always been a volunteer for Nigeria.
“They thought I would follow Peter Obi to ADC, but I had given enough sympathy then. Obi does not own me. I own my independence.”
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Former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, has dismissed claims that he lost the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, senatorial primary for Delta Central, insisting that he emerged victorious in the exercise.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Wednesday, Omo-Agege ridiculed suggestions that he was defeated, saying there was no dispute over the outcome of the primary election.
“If you believe that I lost a primary in NDC, then I have a plot of land to sell to you in the middle of the Atlantic,” he said.
The former lawmaker stated that he won the primary election across all eight local government areas in the senatorial district and expressed confidence that the party would formally confirm the result.
“I won the primaries of the NDC total, as in all eight local government areas. I don’t think there’s any disputing that now. You can take it to the bank that I have won that primary, 100 per cent,” he said.
Omo-Agege disclosed that although he and his supporters were in possession of the results, they had refrained from releasing them publicly in line with directives from the party leadership.
According to him, the NDC had instructed candidates to await the official announcement of results by the party.
He further revealed that the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, was scheduled to meet on Wednesday to ratify the outcomes of the primaries.
“Today, there’s a NEC meeting of NDC. I’m just five or six days old in the party now, by the way, and I’m told I’m a member of the NEC. At the NEC meeting Today, we’re going to be ratifying those results,” he said.
“At the risk of giving you insider information, I can tell you that there’s no contention whatsoever as to who won the senatorial primary in Delta Central. I won it.
“I am the candidate, but I would rather wait for the party to formally make that announcement,” he added.
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Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has defended his decision to leave the Labour Party for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), insisting that his political choices are independent of former presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, said he declined to follow the former Anambra State governor into the opposition coalition because he believed the internal crisis within the Labour Party should have been resolved rather than abandoned.
Speaking on the Naija Unfiltered podcast, Baba-Ahmed said many people assumed he would align with Obi’s new political direction, but he chose a different path based on his convictions.
“They thought I would follow Peter Obi, but I had given enough sympathy then and I thought as a leader, what he should do then is to solve the problem out,” he said.
The former senator questioned the rationale behind leaving one political platform because of internal disagreements only to join another party that could face similar challenges.
“If Abure was a problem, what makes him think the Nwosu or the David Mark of the ADC will not be a problem? What makes him think the chairman of Seriake’s party, NDC, will not be a problem? It’s the same thing wherever you go. Stay here and fix the problem; let’s work together, and he decided to move,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
He stressed that his decision not to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) alongside Obi was based on principles he had consistently articulated.
“With due respect, Peter Obi does not own my politics, he does not own me. I am independent,” he said.
According to him, he had informed Obi of his reasons for rejecting the move and chose instead to pursue his political future through another platform.
“And I said, alright sir. I have different reasons for joining you. If you want to move, go ahead. I gave my cogent and logical reason for not joining the ADC, all of which have come through,” he added.
Baba-Ahmed’s remarks come amid ongoing political realignments within the opposition camp as parties and political figures position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
His decision to join the PRP marks a departure from the political alliance that propelled the Labour Party’s strong performance in the 2023 presidential election and underscores growing divisions among opposition figures over the best strategy to challenge the ruling APC in the next electoral cycle.
The post ‘I’m independent, Peter Obi doesn’t own me’ — Datti Baba-Ahmed appeared first on Vanguard News.
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Former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, on Wednesday, revealed the presidential candidate he will support in 2027.
Omo-Agege disclosed that he would support the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Featuring on Arise Television’s Morning Show, he said Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s followers are afraid of him, hence spreading false rumour about him.
Stressing that he is a loyal party man, Omo-Agege said the governor’s supporters are afraid of what he would do during the 2027 governorship election.
He recalled how he supported President Bola Tinubu when he was a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and would replicate the same as a member of NDC.
According to Omo-Agege: “Peter Obi is my presidential candidate for the 2027, I have endorsed him. I’m a political animal and when I was in APC I gave my all but now I’m in NDC, take it to the bank that my loyalty to the party stands.
“If you believe I lost the NDC primary, then I have a plot of land to sell to you, I won the primaries. Sheriff’s e-rat are afraid of me and they are scared of what I will do to them at the elections.”
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