Former presidential adviser Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has said former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi prefers being anointed a candidate of political parties instead of taking part in party primaries.
Baba-Ahmed further said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) would “bleed “ if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar secures the party’s presidential ticket for the 2027 general election.
He said this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he spoke on the dynamics within the coalition-backed party and the ambitions of its leading figures.
“So, the ADC will bleed after its convention because almost certainly former Vice President Atiku will win the ticket, and when he does, some people will walk out
“That’s my problem. It would be severely damaged. Because they would need so much, we’re talking about a few more months to an election. How much damage control can you do,” he said.
According to him, Atiku is strongly positioned to emerge as the ADC’s flagbearer if the party conducts a national convention, a development he believes would trigger an exodus of aggrieved aspirants and supporters.
“If ADC goes to convention, and it certainly will, because that’s what former Vice President Atiku wants, he will get the ticket.
“And then, a lot of people will walk out because a lot of people are in that party only for the same thing. They want the ticket,” he said.
He argued that the ADC is currently accommodating several high-profile political actors whose interests are bound to clash once the process of selecting a presidential candidate begins.
Baba-Ahmed also referenced the posture of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, suggesting that Obi’s political style does not align with competitive party primaries.
“the only reason why Peter Obi would be in the ADC is because he’s going to be the flag bearer of the ADC. And people are forgetting that there’s Rotimi Amaechi in the ADC. People should ask who Rotimi Amaechi is, when he ran against him for the ticket of the party.
“And perhaps you should go and ask Nyesom Wike the kind of dramatic political game Atiku played against him in the PDP 2023 political primary. That’s what I’m saying.
“One of the reasons Peter Obi is saying, ‘Look at me, I’m not here for number two, I’m not here for convention, I’m here to fly the flag,’ is that he has people who were initially whispering politely to him.
“But now they are saying, ‘Join the queue. You’re not the only one with ambition here,”he said.
He added that Obi was accustomed to being adopted as a consensus candidate rather than contesting against multiple aspirants.
“Peter Obi doesn’t do convention. He just goes there to be anointed,” Baba-Ahmed said, suggesting that such expectations could fuel tensions within the ADC.
Reacting to concerns about the credibility of the 2027 general elections and the growing dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed stated that elections are not rigged from Abuja.
“Elections are not rigged from Abuja. They are rigged in the field, at polling units and collation points,” he said, adding that no electoral system, including technology-based transmission, is entirely immune from manipulation.
He cautioned against the assumption that the APC’s swelling ranks of governors, senators and lawmakers automatically guarantees electoral victory, describing such thinking as flawed and dangerous.
According to him, the ruling party’s strength among political office holders does not necessarily translate to popular support among voters, noting that the APC has increasingly become a party of the elite rather than one rooted in the people.
“The APC has governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives, but it does not have the country. It is largely a party of office holders, not necessarily a party of the people,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He questioned the obsession with mass defections into the APC, arguing that if the party’s performance record were strong enough, it would not need to “amass the entire political class” to remain competitive.
Baba-Ahmed warned that complacency and arrogance could undermine the APC ahead of the next elections, especially if party leaders assume that control of political structures and access to money will automatically deliver votes.
Drawing lessons from recent elections, he said political structures have failed in some instances, citing the 2023 presidential election in Lagos where Peter Obi defeated President Tinubu despite the latter’s long-standing political dominance in the state.
He also predicted internal crises within the APC as the 2027 elections approach, driven by intense competition for tickets between long-standing loyalists and recent defectors.
“For every position, you will have four or five strong contenders. Many of these politicians are only in the party for tickets. If they don’t get it, they will walk away,” he said.
