Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said only God can prevent President Bola Tinubu from winning the 2027 presidential election.
Baba-Ahmed, who was the running mate to Peter Obi on the LP ticket in the 2023 presidential election, made the remarks in an interview with Trust TV while assessing the political landscape ahead of the 2027 polls.
Although critical of some of Tinubu’s policies, Baba-Ahmed acknowledged the president’s longstanding political organisation and ability to build alliances and consolidate political influence.
He said Tinubu spent about 16 years building a political structure and played a major role in forging the alliance that produced Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2015 election.
“Even though I don’t entirely agree with him, he did what others were not able to do. He organised for 16 years, not just plan,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“He organised for 16 years against all odds, he brought in Buhari from retirement. Buhari is from across the Niger. He stood for that.”
The former LP chieftain described Tinubu’s emergence as president in 2023 as an exceptional political feat, arguing that the former Lagos State governor had succeeded in achieving what many other politicians had struggled to accomplish.
Baba-Ahmed also compared Tinubu’s political strategy with that of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, suggesting that Atiku could have encountered resistance from political associates had he attempted similar unconventional strategies.
He further alleged that Tinubu currently wields considerable influence across Nigeria’s political landscape and could work to frustrate efforts by opposition parties to forge a united front ahead of the 2027 election.
“He (Tinubu) will not allow them (opposition) to come together. He probably actually chooses candidates in the opposition parties. He installs leadership in those political parties. He does what you and I cannot imagine,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed added: “If Tinubu says something will happen, only God Almighty can stop it. If he says to be declared in 2027, only God Almighty can stop it.”
Asked whether his assessment amounted to praise or criticism of the president, Baba-Ahmed said it was open to interpretation, insisting that he was merely stating what he considered political realities.
“It is anybody’s business to interpret it anyhow. I only state the facts. And the fact is Nigeria now belongs to Tinubu,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, in which the LP candidate finished third behind Tinubu and Atiku.
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