Baba-Ahmed maintained that his assessment was based on his personal experience during the 2023 presidential campaign, when he served as Obi’s running mate and encountered what he described as significant challenges in persuading northern voters to support the Labour Party candidate.
He made the remarks during an interview with Symfoni TV, where he accused some Obidients of attacking people who express opinions that differ from their political views.
“First, these people (Obidients) are always eager to attack. I said it is very unlikely that the North will support Peter Obi, very unlikely because I know what I have faced,” he said.
The former senator recalled that shortly after joining Obi on the Labour Party presidential ticket in 2022, he had to contend with controversies surrounding the former Anambra State governor’s administration.
Among the issues he mentioned were allegations that Obi’s administration discriminated against northerners by requiring them to obtain identification cards, the demolition of a mosque in Anambra State and a leaked telephone conversation between Obi and the founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo.
In the leaked conversation, Obi repeatedly addressed the cleric as “Yes Daddy”, a development that generated political controversy during the 2023 campaign.
Baba-Ahmed said these issues created difficulties for the Labour Party’s campaign in northern communities, requiring him to undertake extensive efforts to counter the allegations and improve Obi’s acceptance in the region.
He particularly questioned how Kwankwaso, who allegedly travelled from Kano to Anambra State to confront Obi over the treatment of northerners, would now be able to campaign alongside him in Kano.
“I wonder how Kwankwaso, who flew from Kano to Anambra to go and challenge Peter Obi: ‘Why are you driving (out northerners from your state?)’ You know that kind of thing. How will he now go to Kano and contradict himself, ‘No, no, no, it is not what happened?’” he asked.
Baba-Ahmed disclosed that he personally took Obi’s campaign to several northern locations, including Borno, Kano and Zaria, to address the controversies and canvass support for the presidential candidate.
“I smuggled him to Borno, to the Caliphate, to Kano, to Zaria to market him. So I sorted that problem of ID card, mosque demolition, ‘Yes Daddy,’” he said.
He insisted that his assessment of the potential Obi-Kwankwaso ticket remained unchanged, arguing that the controversies surrounding the 2023 campaign could continue to influence northern voters’ perception of the former Anambra governor.
The former vice-presidential candidate also issued a strong warning to Obi’s supporters against attacking him over his comments, suggesting that he had further information he could disclose if provoked.
“They (Obidients) shouldn’t start that nonsense with me that they will start attacking me because I have more damaging things to say,” he warned.
His comments come amid ongoing political discussions and possible alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition figures exploring strategies to build wider regional support.
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), while Baba-Ahmed was his running mate in the previous election.
The latest exchange highlights the continuing disagreements among political figures and supporters over the prospects of opposition alliances and the challenges of securing electoral support across Nigeria’s different regions.
