Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed was Peter Obi's running mate during the 2023 presidential election. In a recent interview, he opened up about how their partnership came together.
He told symphoni that sympathy for Obi, not political ambition, drove his decision. "I have sympathy for him.
And this sympathy was at the core of our relationship," Baba-Ahmed said.
Before approaching him, Obi had pitched the role to three other prominent politicians. All three turned him down, he disclosed.
Baba-Ahmed noted the emotional toll this took. "When he approached three other major politicians in 2022, I would have been glad if one of them had gone with Peter Obi in 2022.
But they all avoided him. I felt bad for him and I felt bad for Nigeria as a nation," he explained.
The former senator stressed that he volunteered for the position out of conviction. "I took it upon myself because naturally I have always been a volunteer.
For the sake of Nigeria, I extended that sympathy to him," Baba-Ahmed added.
Their Labour Party ticket generated enormous political interest nationwide. It became one of the most watched electoral movements in recent Nigerian history.
But the partnership hasn't lasted. The two men now disagree publicly on party strategy and political direction.
Obi has since moved through several political platforms. He briefly joined the African Democratic Congress with former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso before exiting over internal concerns.
He's now associated with the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
Baba-Ahmed criticized Obi for abandoning the Labour Party. He argued that internal conflicts exist everywhere in politics, not just in one party.
"If Abure was a problem, what makes him think Nwosu or David Mark of ADC will not be a problem? What makes him think Seriake of NDC will not be a problem?" he asked in frustration.
According to him, Obi should have stayed and fought for reform. "So it's the same thing wherever you go.
Stay here and fix the problem and let's work together. But he decided to move," Baba-Ahmed said.
He pushed back hard against the idea that his politics are defined by Obi. "With due respect, he does not own my politics; he doesn't own me.
I am independent," he insisted.
Since splitting from the Labour Party, Baba-Ahmed joined the Peoples Redemption Party. It marks another significant turn in his political journey following the 2023 elections.
