Recalls warning ex-Anambra gov against leaving LP for ADC

Atiku: Tinubu subsidises friends, IOCs, won’t do same for poor Nigerians

Chuks Okocha and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

A vocal member of the opposition in Nigeria, Datti Baba-Ahmed, at the weekend said none of the politicians challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, including his erstwhile political ally, Peter Obi, and ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has the capacity to improve or change Nigeria.

Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, disclosed that he had warned Obi against joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC), but the former Anambra State governor ignored his advice and subsequently moved away from what he described as his political “comfort zone”.

The comments by Baba-Ahmed came as the the presidential candidate of the ADC in next year’s election, Atiku, yesterday accused Tinubu of subsidising his friends and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) but won’t do the same for poor and struggling Nigerians.

But speaking on the MIC ON Podcast, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, Baba-Ahmed said his political differences with Obi became more pronounced after the latter ignored his warning ahead of his move to the ADC.

He said he personally approached Obi at the Yar’Adua Centre to express his reservations about the proposed defection, stressing that he had told him the ADC was not suitable for his political ambitions.

“When he was going to join ADC, I had to go to Yar’Adua Centre ahead of him, so I called him aside. They were worried. Why is Datti calling Peter Obi aside and talking to him? And I told him, ‘This is the last time I’m coming to this place. I gave him my reasons. This is not a place for you.’ Was I wrong? I was proven right,” he said.

According to Baba-Ahmed, Obi’s eventual departure from the ADC vindicated his earlier position, noting that he had predicted that the former governor would not remain in the party. “Within four months, Peter Obi left ADC,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed also explained that Obi’s decision to move outside the political position he had advised him to maintain made it difficult for him to continue influencing his former running mate’s political choices.

“Peter Obi moved out of his comfort zone against my advice. Beyond that point, I could no longer help him,” he said.

The former federal lawmaker, who subsequently left the Labour Party for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) said he was also uncomfortable with what he described as contradictions in Obi’s political positions.

“Now, I don’t like people who contradict themselves, and I don’t want to go into criticising again the politics of Atiku because that’s not what I’m about,” he said.

On the 2027 presidential contest, Baba-Ahmed said Tinubu should prepare to leave office but should not hand over power to any of the politicians currently challenging him because, in his view, none of them had the capacity to improve the country.

“I will simply advise uncle (Tinubu) to please prepare to hand over and move away, but not to the people contesting against him because none of them will improve Nigeria,” he said.

Specifically, asked if he was referring to all the opposition politicians seeking to replace Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed replied: “None of that part. Tinubu should leave the stage. All those people contesting against him, too, they were all in bed together at some point or another.”

When the interviewer particularly asked whether that included Obi, Baba-Ahmed responded: “Including Peter Obi, I’m sorry to say.”

He argued that Obi had previously belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was the ruling party at the time, questioning how politicians with such political histories could convincingly present themselves as agents of a new Nigeria. “Tell me one politician who has never been in a ruling party. Tell me,” he said.

However, when reminded that he had also been involved in politics and had served in the National Assembly, Baba-Ahmed distinguished his political history from those of the politicians he was criticising.

“I have never been in a ruling party. While I was in the CPC, CPC was the leading opposition party, even above ANPP then. When they merged with APC and came to power, you have my letter of resignation from the then APC because, even though I was, because I have never had a card, a membership card of APC. Never. I never had a membership card of APC,” he said.

However, Baba-Ahmed maintained that his criticism was not simply about party membership but about the political history of the leading figures seeking to challenge Tinubu in 2027.

Obi and Baba-Ahmed contested the 2023 presidential election on the Labour Party platform and finished third behind Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku of the PDP.

Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Discriminatory Subsidy Approval 

Meanwhile, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the ADC, Atiku, yesterday accused  Tinubu of subsidising his friends and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) but won’t do the same for poor and struggling Nigerians.

He also accused Tinubu of wrecking Nigerians’ purchasing power, emptying household pockets and pushing businesses to the brink through economic policies that have made virtually everything more expensive while leaving ordinary citizens with less money to survive.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu can no longer hide behind impressive economic figures announced from Abuja when Nigerians are living with the painful consequences of his decisions.

He said Tinubu removed fuel subsidy from the people, presided over soaring fuel, transport and food costs, and is now attacking a ‘production subsidy’ proposal designed to reduce that burden and return money to Nigerians’ pockets.

Atiku said the position being canvassed by the Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN) for support for domestic refining, alongside President Donald Trump’s intervention to strengthen petroleum production and refining in the United States, further exposes the weakness of Tinubu’s argument against targeted support for Nigerian production.

“Tinubu did not inherit this cost-of-living crisis from Nigerians. His policies created and deepened it. He took away relief from the people, made fuel, food, transport and basic survival more expensive, and now wants Nigerians to applaud statistics while their pockets are empty.

“Recent reports that a significant share of the short-term assets of some of Nigeria’s biggest companies is now trapped in unpaid customer bills tell the same story: companies may record sales, but customers increasingly cannot pay because Tinubu’s economy has drained their purchasing power.

“Take a woman selling frozen food in Kubwa. She pays more to transport her goods, more to power her freezer and more to restock. Her customers are poorer, so they buy less or ask for credit. Soon she cannot restock, her supplier is owed, and Tinubu’s economic pain spreads through the entire chain,” he stated.

He stressed that Nigerians know the prices they come against daily, with fertiliser moving from about N9,000 to around N50,000; petrol from about N199 to around N1,400 per litre; cement from roughly N4,000 to around N13,500; and the dollar from around N450 to about N1,400.

“And after all this pain, what has the ordinary Nigerian received? No reliable electricity. Loan for a degree. No security. No N-Power. Food is expensive. Transport is expensive. Life itself has become expensive. What exactly are Tinubu’s defenders defending?

“This is why my Production Subsidy is about putting money back into people’s pockets. Support what we produce and refine here, increase supply, monitor the price and make sure Nigerians feel the benefit at the pump,” he argued.

According to him, the point CORAN is making is that there’s a need to support domestic production, stressing that America understands the importance of supporting strategic energy production.

“Yet Tinubu attacks relief for ordinary Nigerians while his government understands perfectly well how to grant waivers, incentives and concessions to multinational oil companies and businesses close to his administration.

“So why does intervention suddenly become bad economics when ordinary Nigerians are meant to benefit?

“Nigerians have now seen what Tinubu’s economics means in their daily lives: higher fuel prices, higher food prices, higher transport costs, weaker businesses and emptier pockets. They do not need another lecture on patience. They need relief.

“The choice before Nigeria is therefore clear: continue with an economy that takes more from the people, or build one that puts money back in their pockets. Support production. Refine in Nigeria. Create Nigerian jobs. Lower the cost of living,” he added.

The former VP urged Nigerians to reject a government that has made life harder and embrace a plan that makes life affordable again.

“Enough of empty pockets. Enough of endless hardship. Nigeria must produce more, Nigerians must pay less, and families must have money left to live. Tinubu made life expensive. Atiku will make life affordable again,” Atiku maintained.