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Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed has disclosed that sympathy for Peter Obi and concern for Nigeria’s condition, rather than ideological alignment, drove his decision to accept the VP slot during the 2023 presidential election.
“I have sympathy for him,” Baba-Ahmed said during an interview with media outlet Symfoni, with a video of the exchange circulating widely on Wednesday.
The former vice-presidential candidate explained that Obi had approached three other prominent politicians in 2021, all of whom declined to partner with him.
Feeling compassion for both Obi and Nigeria, he said he stepped in as a “volunteer 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.”
In the interview, Baba-Ahmed, who recently switched from the Labour Party to the Peoples Redemption Party in May 2026, made a clear distinction between himself and his previous running mate.
He emphasised that Obi does not control his political future and that his support is limited.
“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.
Obi defected to both the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), just like Baba-Ahmed.
The former governor of Anambra gave the Labour Party’s internal problems as his reason for leaving.
Baba-Ahmed countered that Obi’s departure is not justified by internal issues within the Labour Party.
“I mean, if (Julius) Aburi was a problem, what makes him think the David Mark of ADC will not be a problem?
“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.”
