Datti Baba-Ahmed, former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate has revealed that his decision to accept the party’s 2023 presidential ticket alongside Peter Obi was driven more by sympathy for the former Anambra governor and concern for Nigeria, rather than ideological alignment.
Baba-Ahmed made the disclosure during an interview with Symfoni, a media outlet, in a video circulating on Wednesday.
According to him, Obi had initially reached out to several prominent politicians before settling for him, after others declined to run with the Labour Party flagbearer.
“They thought I would follow Peter Obi. Now, people don’t understand that between Obi and me, there’s a great deal of sympathy. I have sympathy for him,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He explained that he accepted the offer after feeling pity for both Obi’s political situation and the state of the nation at the time.
“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,” he added.
Baba-Ahmed, who recently left the Labour Party for the Peoples Redemption Party in May 2026, stressed that his involvement in the 2023 election was voluntary and not rooted in long-term political commitment to Obi.
He further stated that his political independence remains intact and insisted that Obi does not control his decisions.
“With due respect, he does not own my politics. He does not own me. I am independent,” he said.
The former senator also commented on Obi’s departure from the Labour Party, noting that internal party challenges were not sufficient justification for leaving.
He argued that political instability exists in all parties, suggesting that Obi should have stayed back to address internal issues rather than defecting.