He came clean about the fact that, prior to his announcement, Obi had approached no less than three well-known politicians about being his running mate, but they had all declined.
He claims that the combination that put him on the Labour Party ticket was influenced by those rejections.
“I feel sorry for him,” Baba-Ahmed added, reflecting on his political ties to Obi. And our bond was built on this empathy,”
The atmosphere surrounding Obi’s quest for a running companion in 2022 was challenging, he continued, adding that he was politically and personally troubled by the scenario.
I would have preferred it if one of the three other prominent politicians he sought in 2022 had chosen Peter Obi. But nobody dared to approach him. He expressed his sympathy for both the individual and Nigeria as a whole.
His role, the former senator said, was entirely voluntary, and he stepped in out of conviction, not calculation.
Since I have always enjoyed helping others, I volunteered of my own accord. I conveyed that sympathy to him because Nigeria needed him to,” he said.
Obi and Baba-Ahmed’s 2023 presidential campaign for the Labour Party was one of the most closely followed political movements in Nigeria’s recent election history.
But now that the coalition has changed, there is open animosity about party tactics and the future of the country.
Since then, Obi’s political allegiances have changed multiple times. He briefly was a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), but he and former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso eventually severed relations over internal unrest.
He has recently been associated with the NDC, or Nigeria Democratic Congress.
Political instability is not exclusive to any one platform, according to Baba-Ahmed, who criticised Obi’s choice to quit the Labour Party amidst its internal leadership crisis including factional disagreements linked to Julius Abure.
Does he honestly believe that ADC’s Nwosu or David Mark won’t cause trouble, given that Abure was a problem? “What gives him the impression that Seriake of NDC won’t be an issue?” he enquired.
He emphasised that we should not run away from political problems, but rather face them head-on.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter where you go. We can work together if you just remain here and resolve the issue. However, he made the decision to relocate,” he stated.
Baba-Ahmed has also denied rumours that his political identity is intertwined with Obi’s, stating that he is fully independent.
I don’t let him control my politics or my identity, with all due respect. “I am self-reliant,” he declared.
Following the 2023 elections, Baba-Ahmed made yet another change in his political course by defecting from the Labour Party and joining the Peoples Redemption Party.