Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s (LP) 2023 vice-presidential candidate, has said none of President Bola Tinubu’s major opponents in the 2027 presidential election has the capacity to improve Nigeria.

Baba-Ahmed, who was Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, made the statement while speaking on the MicOn Podcast on Saturday.

Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is seeking re-election in 2027, with Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) among his major challengers.

Baba-Ahmed said the leading contenders had, at various times, been associated with political parties and administrations that he blamed for Nigeria’s current condition.

“I will simply advise uncle (Tinubu) to please prepare to hand over and move away, but not to the people contesting against him,” he said.

“Because none of them will improve Nigeria. All those people contesting against him too were all in bed together at some point or another — including Peter Obi. At some point, he was in PDP.”

The former lawmaker said he was advocating a “new Nigeria” and claimed to be the only politician among the leading contenders who had never belonged to a ruling party.

“Tell me one politician who has never been in a ruling party. I’m the one. Have I ever been in a ruling party?” he said.

Baba-Ahmed said he was a member of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) but resigned before the party merged with other political parties to form the APC.

“I have never been in a ruling party. When I was in CPC, it was a little opposition party,” he said.

“I never had an APC membership card.”

Baba-Ahmed questions Atiku over Tinubu’s records

The former LP vice-presidential candidate also commented on the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s records in the United States.

He questioned Atiku’s criticism of the president over the matter, arguing that the former vice-president had not always raised the issue with the same intensity.

Baba-Ahmed said Tinubu had been given an opportunity to govern the country but should not seek to extend his stay beyond his second term.

He also accused the president of weakening political parties during his administration.

“All he did in three years was to destroy political parties,” Baba-Ahmed said.

The 2027 presidential election is expected to feature several prominent political figures, with parties and political movements already positioning themselves ahead of the poll.