Former presidential adviser Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has said Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, needs to adjust his political approach if he hopes to emerge as the presidential candidate in the coalition-backed primary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Baba-Ahmed made the remarks on Thursday while speaking on The Morning Show on Arise Television, where he assessed Obi’s chances within the opposition coalition and compared them with those of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
According to him, Atiku currently enjoys a clear advantage within a convention-based primary system, owing to his long experience in party politics and deep understanding of internal democratic processes.
“Vice President Atiku is head and shoulders better than all other candidates in terms of emerging through convention,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“He does this either through experience, wider spread, better structures and more loyal people. And he understands the mechanics of internal democratic politics better than others.”
Baba-Ahmed argued that while Obi remains a strong political figure, his current strategy may not be sufficient in a competitive coalition environment dominated by seasoned political actors.
“I think Governor Peter Obi’s people and himself are not helping his case,” he said.
He acknowledged Obi’s strong public engagement and grassroots appeal, describing him as highly visible and politically active nationwide.
“I think he is the most travelled politician I’ve seen in recent times, and that’s good for him. He tries to stay in touch with the grassroots, which is good for him,” Baba-Ahmed noted.
However, he cautioned that Obi must recognise the changing dynamics of the race and the calibre of politicians he is now competing against within the ADC coalition.
“What he needs to do now is to sit down with his people and come to terms with the fact that he’s now running against hardline politicians who also have eyes on the same thing he has his eyes on,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed further advised Obi to emulate Atiku’s approach to managing supporters and internal party tensions, especially in avoiding public confrontations.
“What Vice President Atiku did to his people in terms of saying calm down, we don’t want to be trading insults with each other was the right thing,” he said, adding that “Peter Obi should do twice as much.”
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