The Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been pursuing Nigeria’s presidency since his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) days, stressing the need for a new generation of leaders in the country.
Baba-Ahmed made the remark on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he recalled that Atiku was already a presidential aspirant while he was still a corps member.
According to him, Atiku’s long-standing ambition reflects a political culture that has limited opportunities for younger and capable Nigerians who are willing to address the country’s challenges but are discouraged by the nature of the system.
“When I was doing my NYSC, Baba Atiku was an aspirant, and in 2018, we contested the primaries together. In 2023, we contested again, with me as a vice-presidential candidate elsewhere, when his vice president had left him. And, for God’s sake, in 2027 again,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He argued that Nigeria urgently requires fresh leadership, noting that a new generation of competent citizens is ready to take responsibility if given the opportunity.
“There is a need for a new generation of Nigerian leaders, and they do exist. A whole new generation is waiting for a new leader to lead them to a new party,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed added that many well-meaning Nigerians are being discouraged from active political participation by what he described as an expensive, difficult and treacherous system dominated by godfathers and broken promises.
“There are good Nigerians capable of solving Nigeria’s problems, but they are discouraged by an expensive, difficult and treacherous system filled with godfathers and broken promises,” he said.
The Labour Party chieftain also dismissed claims that he had declared interest in contesting the 2027 presidential election, clarifying that he merely reaffirmed his membership of the party.
“I never declared to contest the presidency, even though there could be a possibility of that happening. I certainly did not declare for the presidency. I simply reiterated my membership of the Labour Party,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He added that decisions regarding future elections would depend on the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the position of the party, urging Nigerians to disregard what he described as sensational narratives circulating on social media.
