Coalition overcrowded with ambitions — Datti Baba-Ahmed
Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, has shared his thoughts on the recently unveiled opposition coalition spearheaded by the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The coalition brings together prominent political figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate Peter Obi, ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former Senate President David Mark, and several former governors.
In a recent interview with Trust TV, Baba-Ahmed, 55, acknowledged the coalition’s potential but expressed concerns about its internal dynamics and lack of a distinct strategy to challenge the ruling party.
“The coalition is full of options, the coalition is full of resources, but the downside is that the coalition is also too full of ambitions. Ambitions have to be reduced, they have to be managed carefully,” the former lawmaker maintained.
While clarifying that his remarks were not an attack on the coalition, Baba-Ahmed argued that he has yet to see a strategic blueprint capable of defeating President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
“If you do business as usual against a seating government like Tinubu, you won’t win. You need to do what we call think outside the box. To achieve an impossible feat you truly need an impossible strategy,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also warned against the coalition presenting Atiku Abubakar as its standard-bearer, suggesting that the APC already understands how to politically neutralise the former Vice President.
“If you bring out Atiku, they know how to work against Atiku, and he is welcome to win, if he wins we will support him. You need that candidate they can’t understand, they don’t know where to catch, that is how to win an election,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
Citing past examples, Baba-Ahmed observed that the ADC lacks a unifying figure like Bola Tinubu, who once stepped back for the sake of coalition success, or Muhammadu Buhari, whose grassroots base helped propel the APC to victory in 2015.
He concluded that the coalition should resist the urge to rally around a single political heavyweight by default, urging instead for a well-managed and inclusive leadership process.
