Datti Baba-Ahmed: I Joined Peter Obi's Ticket Out of Sympathy

Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has revealed that he accepted the VP position with Peter Obi mainly out of sympathy for him and the state of the country. It was not because they shared the same political ideas. He made this known during an interview with Symfoni, and a video of the interview is making rounds on social media.

Baba-Ahmed explained that Obi had asked three other well-known politicians to join him, but they all turned him down. Baba-Ahmed felt sorry for both Obi and Nigeria, so he decided to step in as a volunteer. He said he did it "for the sake of Nigeria."

"They thought I would follow Peter Obi. Now, people don’t understand that between me and Obi, there’s a great deal of sympathy. I have sympathy for him," Baba-Ahmed said. He added, "When he approached three other major politicians in 2021, they avoided him. I would have been glad if, in 2022, one of them went with Peter Obi. But they all avoided him. I felt bad for him. I felt bad for Nigeria as a nation. I took it upon myself because, naturally, I’ve always been a volunteer for the sake of Nigeria. I extended that sympathy."

Baba-Ahmed, who switched from the Labour Party to the Peoples Redemption Party in May 2026, used this interview to clarify that he is not bound to his former running mate. He stressed that he has his own political views and that Obi does not control his political future.

"They thought I would follow Peter Obi. But I had given enough sympathy there. With due respect, he does not own my politics. He does not own me. I am independent," he stated.

Like Baba-Ahmed, Obi also moved from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress and then to the National Democratic Congress. When Obi left the Labour Party, he pointed to issues within the party as his reason.

But Baba-Ahmed said that the internal problems in the Labour Party are not a good enough reason for Obi to leave. "I mean, if (Julius) Aburi was a problem, what makes him think the David Mark of ADC will not be a problem?" he questioned.

He continued, "What makes him think the chairman of Seriake (Senator Seriake Dickson) of NDC will not be a problem? So it’s the same thing wherever you go. Stay here and fix this problem. Now, let’s work together. And he decided to move. Now, with due respect, he does not own my politics. He does not own me. I am independent."