Peter Obi left his comfort zone against my advice — Datti Baba-Ahmed

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Datti Baba-Ahmed, the running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, has said Obi moved out of his political “comfort zone” against his advice ahead of the 2027 election.

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Baba-Ahmed made the remarks during an interview on MIC ON Podcast, while reaction to the question on what had changed in his perception of Obi since their 2023 presidential campaign.

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According to him, he personally advised Obi against joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC), warning that the party was not the right political platform for him.

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Baba-Ahmed said he even went ahead of Obi to the Yar’Adua Centre, where he pulled him aside and expressed his reservations about the move.

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“When he was going to join ADC, I had to go to Yar’Adua Centre ahead of him, I called him aside. They were worried. Why is Datti calling Peter Obi aside and talking to him?” he said.

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He said he then made his position clear to Obi, telling him that the ADC was not suitable for his political ambitions.

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“And I told him, ‘This is the last time I’m coming to this place. I gave him my reasons. This is not a place for you.’ Was I wrong? I was proven right,” Baba-Ahmed said.

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He pointed to Obi’s subsequent departure from the ADC as evidence that his concerns had been justified.

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“Within four months, Peter Obi left ADC,” he said.

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Baba-Ahmed also said Obi had departed from the political position he had previously taken, noting that he was uncomfortable with what he described as contradictions in political conduct.

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“Now, I don’t like people who contradict themselves, and I don’t want to go into criticising again the politics of Atiku because that’s not what I’m about,” he said.

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Baba-Ahmed said he could not have helped the former Anambra State governor to stay back in the Labour Party since he didn’t heed his advice.

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“Peter Obi moved out of his comfort zone against my advice. Beyond that point, I could no longer help him,” he said.

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Obi and Baba-Ahmed were the Labour Party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates respectively in the 2023 general election, finishing third behind Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.

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