Nigeria’s political landscape is abuzz with controversy as Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, criticizes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s repeated presidential ambitions. Datti Baba-Ahmed emphasizes that Nigeria urgently needs a new generation of leaders to rescue the country from its deepening crisis.
Speaking on the state of Nigerian politics and leadership, Datti Baba-Ahmed expressed concern that Atiku has remained a constant contender in presidential races for decades without delivering the change Nigerians yearn for. He recounted his political journey, highlighting that he and Atiku have crossed paths repeatedly on the presidential stage. “When I was doing my NYSC, Baba Atiku was already an aspirant. In 2018, we contested primaries together. In 2023, we contested again; I as a vice president elsewhere, when his own vice president had left him. And now, for God’s sake, in 2027 again,” he said.
Datti Baba-Ahmed described Nigeria’s political space as hostile to genuine reformers, lamenting that capable Nigerians are being pushed out by a system dominated by godfathers, money politics, and broken promises. He stressed that there is a need for a new generation of Nigerian leaders, and they do exist. “A whole new generation is waiting for a new leader to lead them to a new party,” he said.
According to Datti Baba-Ahmed, Nigeria is not short of competent citizens who can solve the nation’s problems, but the structure of politics discourages them. “There are good Nigerians, there are people capable of fixing Nigeria’s problems, but they are discouraged by the expensive, difficult, and treacherous system full of godfathers and bad promises,” he stated.
Datti Baba-Ahmed added that despite the obstacles, many Nigerians are still eager for change and are searching for credible leadership. “There are good Nigerians who are looking for that leader to lead them to fix Nigeria’s problems,” he said.
The Labour Party chieftain’s remarks come amid renewed speculation about Atiku’s political future and the possibility that he may seek to run for president for the seventh time, this time under his new party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Atiku Abubakar has left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the ADC, a platform he would be contesting the 2027 presidential election. The ADC also has notable figures like Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, and Chibuike Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State.
Datti Baba-Ahmed’s comments have sparked debate across political circles, with supporters praising his candour while critics accuse him of targeting senior opposition figures at a sensitive time for coalition building.
The Labour Party vice-presidential candidate in 2023 has hinted at a possible presidential run in 2027, stating that he remains committed to the Labour Party and will make his decision known when the time is right.
