Struggle for presidential ticket biggest test for ADC, says Datti Baba-Ahmed

Datti Baba-Ahmed says the battle for a presidential candidate could pose a huge challenge for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Speaking in an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, said the new coalition platform would soon have its hands full ahead of the 2027 election.

On Wednesday, opposition politicians unveiled the ADC as the platform to rally votes against President Bola Tinubu in the next poll.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Rotimi Amaechi, a former transportation minister; Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the LP in the 2023 elections; and Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, are at the forefront of the opposition campaign.

Amaechi and Obi have gone public with their ‘one-term presidency’ proposals, with Abubakar reportedly nursing a presidential run for the umpteenth time.

During the interview, Baba-Ahmed warned that the “excitement” trailing the ADC coalition should be managed and that citizens should not be “consumed” by it.

He added that he understands the excitement because Nigerians are currently “depressed” due to socio-economic factors.

Baba-Ahmed said the ADC coalition is similar to the political strategy deployed by Tinubu in the build-up to the 2015 presidential election.

He compared the ADC coalition to the alliance of political parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The politician added that unlike the current coalition, the APC alliance perceived former President Muhammadu Buhari as the “anointed” presidential candidate long before the primary election.

“Don’t be consumed by the excitement — manage it. Right now, it is all about the excitement,” he said.

“Understandably so, Nigerians are depressed as they are oppressed. This excitement can easily consume everyone. Hold back and think critically.

“There are structural misgivings in the coalition as it is today. Buhari was the distant anointed from ab initio (referring to APC in 2015). The convener (Tinubu) supported him. He understands that when Buhari leaves, he will become (president).

“This opposition does not have a distant anointed (candidate). There will be a very close gap and tight struggle for it (presidential candidate). Possibly, not so clean primary and struggle for it.

“The question is what will be the aftermath.”

He added that he is considering joining the ADC coalition while still remaining a member of LP.

Baba-Ahmed added that he agrees with the principles and objectives of the coalition.