Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said he agreed to run alongside Peter Obi out of sympathy for both the former Anambra State governor and Nigeria’s political situation at the time.
Baba-Ahmed made the disclosure during an interview with Symfoni, where he reflected on how he became Obi’s running mate ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, Obi had approached three prominent politicians in 2022 to be his running mate, but none accepted the offer.
He said his decision to join the ticket was influenced by the treatment Obi received and his desire to contribute to Nigeria’s political development.
“People don’t understand that between me and Obi, there is a great deal of sympathy. I have sympathy for him, and this sympathy was at the core of our relationship. When he approached three other major politicians in 2022, I would have been glad if one of them had gone with Peter Obi in 2022. But they all avoided him. I felt bad for him and I felt bad for Nigeria as a nation,” Baba-Ahmed said.
The former senator added that he voluntarily accepted the role because he believed it was in the country’s best interest.
“I took it upon myself because naturally I have always been a volunteer. For the sake of Nigeria, I extended that sympathy to him,” he said.
