Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has cautioned supporters of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, against attacking him over his position on a possible 2027 presidential alliance between Obi and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Baba-Ahmed said a joint ticket involving the two politicians might struggle to gain acceptance in northern Nigeria, citing his personal experience during the 2023 presidential campaign.
Speaking in an interview with Symfoni TV, the former vice-presidential candidate accused Obi’s supporters, popularly known as Obidients, of attacking individuals who express opinions contrary to their expectations.
“First, these people (Obidients) are always eager to attack. I said it is very unlikely that the North will support Peter Obi, very unlikely because I know what I have faced,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed recalled that shortly after joining Obi on the Labour Party’s presidential ticket in 2022, the campaign faced allegations that Obi’s administration in Anambra State discriminated against northerners by compelling them to carry identification cards.
He also cited controversies over the demolition of a mosque in the state and a leaked conversation between Obi and the founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, in which the former governor repeatedly referred to the cleric as “Yes Daddy”.
According to him, the controversies created challenges for Obi’s campaign in northern communities, prompting him to personally work towards countering the allegations and mobilising support for the presidential candidate.
“I wonder how Kwankwaso, who flew from Kano to Anambra to go and challenge Peter Obi: ‘Why are you driving (out northerners from your state?)’ You know that kind of thing. How will he now go to Kano and contradict himself, ‘No, no, no, it is not what happened?’” he said.
Baba-Ahmed said he took Obi’s campaign to several northern locations, including Borno, Kano and Zaria, to address the controversies and promote his candidacy.
“I smuggled him to Borno, to the Caliphate, to Kano, to Zaria to market him. So I sorted that problem of ID card, mosque demolition, ‘Yes Daddy,’” he said.
He maintained that the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential campaign could still influence northern voters’ disposition towards a potential Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
The former vice-presidential candidate also warned Obi’s supporters against directing their criticism at him, threatening to disclose further information if they continued their attacks.
“They (Obidients) shouldn’t start that nonsense with me that they will start attacking me because I have more damaging things to say,” he warned.
The comments come amid ongoing discussions over political alliances and possible presidential tickets ahead of the 2027 general election.
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), while Baba-Ahmed was his running mate in the previous election.
