Former Labour Party, LP, presidential running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said he left the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, because he has no plans for Nigeria.
Datti was Obi’s running mate for the presidency under the LP in 2023.
After the election, Obi defected to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, before moving to the NDC.
However, Datti said he would not disadvantage President Bola Tinubu by unnecessarily supporting the ADC’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Obi.
In an interview on Symfoni TV, Datti explained that he would not unfairly help promote Atiku, Obi, and others without good reason, stressing that fairness was a value he stood by in life.
He recalled working hard for Obi during the campaign, but noted that Obi’s team appeared not to fully acknowledge that effort. He said he had told Obi directly that he needed to come up with a concrete plan for Nigeria, since he was yet to present one.
Datti clarified that it was he who walked away from Obi, not the other way around, insisting that his decision stemmed from Obi’s lack of a clear plan for the country.
He maintained that despite the development, he still held Obi in high regard and had once stood firmly behind him, describing it as unfortunate to see the choices Obi had since made, while acknowledging that it remained Obi’s prerogative.