Limit Your Assessment To Presidential Aspirants You Know — Adebayo Replies Datti

The Social Democratic Party presidential hopeful, Adewole Adebayo, has faulted former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed for making a broad assessment of opposition politicians seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Baba-Ahmed, who was Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, recently said none of the opposition contenders seeking to replace Tinubu possessed the capacity to significantly improve Nigeria.

Speaking on the Mic On Podcast, Baba-Ahmed advised Tinubu to prepare to leave office in 2027 but argued that the President should not hand over power to the opposition figures currently positioning themselves for the presidency.

He cited the political backgrounds and previous experiences of some of the leading opposition figures while explaining his assessment.

However, Adebayo rejected the sweeping judgment during an appearance on Arise News’ News Night, saying Baba-Ahmed should restrict his conclusions to politicians with whom he had personally worked.

Adebayo argued that Baba-Ahmed’s assessment could reasonably reflect his experiences with politicians he had dealt with, including Obi and members of the Peoples Democratic Party, but should not be extended to candidates he had never worked with.

He specifically challenged Baba-Ahmed to clarify whether his assessment included him.

“Senator Datti is talking from experience, the intimate relationship with people he has dealt with, so limit it to that. He can’t be talking about people like us, whom he has not dealt with,” Adebayo said.

The SDP candidate suggested that Baba-Ahmed’s experience with Obi may have influenced his judgment about the former Anambra State governor’s capacity to lead Nigeria.

Adebayo noted that Baba-Ahmed had previously been associated with the PDP and argued that his political experiences could have shaped his views of the current opposition field.

He maintained that Baba-Ahmed could not fairly include him in the assessment because the two politicians had not worked together.

“So you need to bring him to your studio and ask him if that includes me. I don’t think so,” Adebayo added.

The exchange comes as political parties and presidential aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, with opposition figures increasingly debating who can offer Nigerians a credible alternative to the incumbent administration.