Datti Baba-Ahmed Breaks Silence: “Only Obi Can Get My Loyalty In 2027”
As Nigeria’s political landscape begins to reshape ahead of the 2027 general elections, one voice from the 2023 race has re-emerged with a firm declaration of loyalty — Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate.
While new alliances are sprouting, especially the African Democratic Congress (ADC)-led coalition involving political heavyweights like Atiku Abubakar, Nasir el-Rufai, David Mark, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, Baba-Ahmed isn’t buying the hype. To him, the coalition is nothing but smoke and mirrors.
“They are deceiving us,” he said bluntly during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Standing Firm with Obi
Despite growing speculation about Peter Obi’s next political moves, Baba-Ahmed left no room for doubt: he remains an “Obi man” through and through. He wants Obi to stay with the Labour Party (LP) and lead its 2027 presidential charge.
“I’m in the Labour Party. I’m a Peter Obi man. I still want Peter Obi to come back to the Labour Party and contest the 2027 election,” he emphasized.
This signals two things:
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The Labour Party faithful are not eager to see Obi swallowed by another coalition.
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Obi’s base still views him as the symbol of an independent, reformist campaign — not another face in a recycled political alliance.
Would He Run Again as VP?
When pressed on whether he would serve as vice-presidential candidate again, Baba-Ahmed kept the door open. His condition? That Nigeria still has a functioning electoral system worth participating in.
“If Nigeria is still around and there is an electoral system to follow… My love for Nigeria is undying,” he said.
He even narrowed down his options: only two figures could get his loyalty as a running mate. One remains unnamed. The other, unsurprisingly, is Peter Obi.
“I’m always with Peter Obi until he decides not to.”
Reading Between the Lines
Baba-Ahmed’s comments are more than just personal loyalty — they highlight deeper fractures within Nigeria’s opposition politics:
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The ADC coalition is being marketed as a grand alternative to APC dominance, but skeptics like Baba-Ahmed see it as opportunistic, bringing together politicians who have hopped from one camp to another without a clear ideological anchor.
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For Obi’s supporters, aligning too closely with “old power players” risks diluting the fresh appeal that made the Obidient movement a force in 2023.
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Baba-Ahmed’s repeated emphasis on “Nigeria still being around” reflects public fears about worsening insecurity, economic hardship, and disillusionment with the political process itself.
The Bigger Picture for 2027
As things stand, two possible scenarios are shaping up:
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Tinubu’s APC machinery — strong, well-oiled, and backed by incumbency, though weighed down by Nigeria’s current economic hardship.
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A fragmented opposition — Labour Party loyalists vs. the ADC coalition vs. a weakened PDP.
Whether Obi remains the LP’s candidate, joins forces with ADC, or tries to straddle both camps could make or break the opposition’s 2027 chances. And with loyal deputies like Datti Baba-Ahmed refusing to be swayed, the decision may not just shape his career — it could determine the opposition’s future.
Final Thoughts
Datti Baba-Ahmed’s fiery dismissal of the new coalition and unwavering loyalty to Peter Obi underscores a core truth about Nigerian politics: personalities still drive the system more than ideology.
The opposition has the numbers to challenge APC in 2027, but without cohesion, strategy, and trust, even the strongest alliances risk collapsing under their own contradictions.
One thing, however, is clear — if Peter Obi is on the ballot, Datti Baba-Ahmed will be standing right beside him.
