The Social Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has faulted Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed’s assessment of opposition figures seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 election, had said none of the opposition contenders seeking to replace Tinubu, including his former principal, Peter Obi, possessed the capacity to improve Nigeria.
Speaking on the Mic On Podcast recently, Baba-Ahmed advised Tinubu to prepare to hand over power, arguing that opposition politicians remained tied to the established political class.
But appearing on Arise News’ News Night on Sunday, Adebayo rejected what he described as a sweeping assessment, saying Baba-Ahmed should “restrict his conclusions to politicians with whom he had personal dealings.”
Senator Datti is talking from experience, the intimate relationship with people he has dealt with, so limit it to that.
“He can’t be talking about people like us, whom he has not dealt with,” the presidential hopeful said.
Adebayo said Baba-Ahmed’s views might have been shaped by his experiences with politicians he had worked with, including Peter Obi and members of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Adebayo stated, “Maybe his experience with Governor Peter Obi has convinced him that that one cannot make a good president and he’s interacted—he was in the PDP before, so he knows them, but I think he can’t include me.”
The SDP chieftain maintained that Baba-Ahmed could not include him in his assessment, challenging the television station to seek clarification from the former senator.
He concluded, “So you need to bring him to your studio and ask him if that includes me. I don’t think so.”