A former vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has dismissed the possibility of a unified opposition candidate for the 2027 presidential election, describing the idea as impossible.

Baba-Ahmed made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He was reacting to the Ibadan Declaration by an opposition coalition, which agreed to field a single candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to him, the Ibadan meeting was not attended by all opposition parties, but only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Baba-Ahmed, who was the vice presidential candidate alongside Peter Obi under the Labour Party in 2023, described the idea of a single opposition candidate in 2027 as “a lie.”

“I think it is a lie (unified opposition candidate). There is no way they will agree; it is not possible. It is only two parties, PDP and ADC. Now the faction of PDP who went there are the runners-up to Wike,” Baba-Ahmed said.

“Two parties coming to say that they are the entire opposition in Ibadan doesn’t make sense to me and I think it should not even be a topic for you and I to dwell upon.”

‘Opposition Coalition Won’t Fly’

The Kaduna-born politician argued that the opposition coalition under the ADC is unlikely to succeed, adding that it would not “fly” even if his former principal, Peter Obi, is given the party’s ticket.

“I have said it several times and I don’t want to say it again because a good number of them are my friends, and they always get agitated when I say the facts about them,” he said.

Asked what would happen if Peter Obi clinches the ADC ticket, Baba-Ahmed replied: “I think it will not fly.”

He added that rather than focus on individuals, he prefers to address what he described as Nigerians’ reluctance to participate in politics, which he said contributes to the persistence of bad governance in the country.

“I don’t want to talk about individuals now; I want to talk about the core, the main subject of what we call opposition being able to take over. I want to talk about Nigerians still shying away from politics.

“Do we realise how bad this thing is? Nigerians are complicit in the continuation of bad governance because we have no shortage of good people, we have no shortage of angels, but they keep shying away from politics,” he said.

Opposition Destabilisation

Baba-Ahmed also blamed President Bola Tinubu’s administration for what he described as the “destabilisation” of opposition political parties, at the expense of focusing on governance responsibilities.

“Now you have a regime whose primary purpose has been the destabilisation of other political parties. We should be lucky today to say there is even one political party that is still standing.

“They have succeeded in destroying other political parties at the expense of what they should have done by providing security and improving our economy,” he said.

Decamping To PRP

The former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate also announced that he is set to leave the party for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

According to him, the decision follows internal disagreements within the Labour Party, which he said has drifted from its original ideals.

“I am leaving the Labour Party tomorrow [Wednesday]. There is more to it. When there was real peace in the Labour Party, was when they posted back.

“They redeployed someone with a specific purpose, and because of the antecedent of the individual to make life difficult, particularly for me. What the Labour Party stood for then is no longer what it is today,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed added that his exit from the party would take effect at midnight, stressing that his next political destination is the PRP. (Channels TV)