Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar could have been in a stronger position to win the 2027 presidential election if he had backed Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential race instead of contesting against him.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Baba-Ahmed argued that Atiku missed a chance to build long-term political goodwill by supporting younger politicians and waiting for a future opportunity, a strategy he said had previously worked for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, had Atiku thrown his weight behind the Obi-Datti ticket in 2023, he would have been willing to support the former vice president’s presidential ambition in 2027 and would have encouraged Obi to do the same.
Baba-Ahmed said Tinubu’s political rise was built on patience and strategic alliance-building. He noted that the president had, over the years, provided political platforms and support to other politicians, including Atiku and former President Muhammadu Buhari, before eventually pursuing his own presidential ambition. He argued that many opposition figures lack the patience required to build such long-term political arrangements.
The former lawmaker also singled out former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as one of the few politicians he believes has shown strategic patience ahead of future elections. He suggested that several key figures within the opposition coalition were too eager to secure power rather than carefully building consensus and support.
Baba-Ahmed further warned members of the emerging opposition coalition against what he described as excessive optimism ahead of the 2027 elections. He argued that Tinubu remains a seasoned political strategist who understands the tactics being deployed by opposition groups and is capable of countering them.
According to him, the coalition lacks a unifying figure comparable to Buhari, whose popularity helped rally opposition forces before the 2015 election. He said he had previously cautioned coalition leaders that without a widely accepted candidate capable of attracting broad public support, it would be difficult to mobilise voters around a common objective.
His remarks come amid growing political realignments and discussions among opposition figures seeking to challenge Tinubu and the ruling APC in the 2027 presidential election.
