Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, believes Obi deserves to be the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, not a vice presidential candidate.
Baba-Ahmed made this assertion on Arise Television’s Prime Time, citing Obi’s impressive performance in the last election, where he garnered 10 million votes.
According to Baba-Ahmed, Obi’s electoral track record makes him more than qualified to lead the opposition effort in 2027, rendering a vice presidential role unsuitable for him. He identified potential presidential candidates for the coalition, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and Obi.
Baba-Ahmed also disagreed with the notion that a coalition of opposition politicians is necessary to defeat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He pointed to the 2023 election as evidence, where the Labour Party made significant strides without a coalition. Instead, Baba-Ahmed emphasized the importance of a “coalition of votes” at the ballot box, stressing the need to protect votes from polling stations to declaration.