Datti wants a feisty, pugnacious, truculent and radical Obi that will go toe-to-toe with the entrenched power that be and dismantle the status quo but he won’t get that because the reality of him and Obi are vastly different and they are not plying their political trade on the same plane of existence
Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed is not the type of person who craves media engagement or the attention it brings. Still, whenever he ditches his aversion for publicity to speak on socio-political issues and developments in the country, he tends to make headlines as his utterances, which are often marked by brutal openness and searing frankness, carry with them an air of controversy.
Following the evolving alignment and realignment in the nation’s political space, Datti recently granted an interview where he reflected on the outcome and dynamics of the 2023 presidential election and shared his thoughts on the state of the nation, particularly as it regards the 2027 election. One of the targets of Datti’s excoriation was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, to whom Datti was running mate. Datti voiced his utter dissatisfaction with Obi’s past and recent moves, decisions and actions on issues of politics and elections.
The scathing interview provoked different reactions from different people, particularly Obi supporters. Some feel the open castigation of Obi by someone who was supposed to be a trusted confidante and loyal associate was unnecessary and quite classless and tackles as they see it as an attempt to undermine Obi and hand his detractors and adversaries a weapon needed to malign and impugn his image. Others view Datti’s interview as nothing more than the exhibition of his penchant for saying the truth no matter whose ox is gored. They see it as an uncomfortable display of his candidness, brutal honesty and forthrightness to speak plainly and unreservedly when shying away from the truth may seem prudent and politically correct.
While the assessments of both aforementioned schools of thought, though sentimental and subjective to a great extent, are not entirely implausible and pedestrian, there are certain remarks Datti made during the interview that raised questions about his own conviction, forthrightness and consistency. Many may have agreed with his position on certain issues he spoke about but it will be remiss of anyone to overlook the bundle of contradictions in his comments and also ignore the context of some of them especially in relation to the reality of Nigeria’s socio-political and economic history.
When it was convenient for him, he boosted that the north will vote and rally behind his joint ticket with Obi when they contested on the platform of Labour Party in 2023, a ticket that catapulted Datti to the mainstream of Nigerian politics, fast forward to 2026 with the build up to the 2027 election gathering momentum, Datti now feels the north, which he claimed would support Obi in 2023 when he was his running mate, will no longer rally behind him in 2027 even as Obi is now expected to have a running mate in the person of former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who enjoys massive organic and cult following and clearly has better electoral value, stronger national appeal than Datti.
If Datti claimed he enjoined Obi to team up with former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai and Kwankwaso, and that he midwifed Obi’s eventual alliance with Kwankwaso, then the question should be why is he trying to badmouth and undermine the very deft political arrangements and pragmatic manoeuvring he orchestrated by disparaging his former boss Obi with assertions and claims that do nothing but hurt his chances of realising his presidential ambition. Many will also not agree with his claim that Kwankwaso is politically bigger than Obi, at least the evidence and results of the last presidential election which both men participated in contradict his claim.
He also chastised Obi for not defending his victory in 2023, adding that he should have taken to the streets and fought for what belonged to him. On the surface, many will agree with him on this but when one thinks and looks deeply at the configuration of the Nigerian state and its checkered history, one would realise that Obi does not have the liberty and leverage to engage in an all-out confrontation with those in power, which is what Datti was demanding, to reclaim what is his. Aside from his widely known disposition and creed of being a stickler for due process and rule of law, his being an Igbo means he does not have the luxury to say let alone do certain things that many high-profile people from the north and the southwest will do and get away with. As a politician of Eastern extraction, he has to constantly walk on eggshells and speak in measured tones.
In the last three years, Obi has constantly told those who cared to listen about the unjust and unfair treatment those in power are meting out to him. Aside from the attack on his person, he has repeatedly spoken about how his businesses are attacked, property is destroyed and those close to him are persecuted. All this is happening without him engaging in any activity that could be viewed as subversive or undermining of the Nigerian state, one can only imagine what will become of him should he decide to heed the advice of Datti who, despite being his running mate in the last election, has not had to deal with such a jarring level of persecution and victimisation.
When Obi left the Labour Party early this year, Datti decried the move, saying it was a wrong move and swore never to leave the party. But Datti could not keep to his word and has since dumped the Labour Party for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) which goes to show the lack of self-awareness in his speech and the absence of conviction in his dealings.
Furthermore, Datti wants a feisty, pugnacious, truculent and radical Obi that will go toe-to-toe with the entrenched power that be and dismantle the status quo but he won’t get that because the reality of him and Obi are vastly different and they are not plying their political trade on the same plane of existence. Obi’s cautious, practical and conservative approach has worked for him so far and he has grown from strength to strength even though many believe such an approach is an albatross and has done more harm than good to him.
Finally, Datti’s scathing interview and his remarks blurred the line of honest and dispassionate commentary about Obi, whom many still largely considered his friend and associate. The deliberate lack of nuanced arguments and context in his interview made it feel like an attack. Be that as it may, Datti, with his sizable electoral value and appeal, now has the opportunity and platform to sell himself to Nigerians and do everything he wanted Obi to do or thought he should have done.
