Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party and running mate to Peter Obi, has dismissed the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a grand deception, alleging that many individuals who contributed to Nigeria's decline under the Muhammadu Buhari administration are now seeking refuge in the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking in a late Friday night interview on Channels TV, Baba-Ahmed argued that Nigeria’s fundamental problems stem from flawed leadership recruitment processes that have consistently produced corrupt and self-serving politicians.
He stated that electoral fraud has been the breeding ground for insecurity, corruption, and the collapse of national institutions.
“Insecurity is derived from electoral fraud. Corruption is aggravated by the kind of elections we conduct. The destruction of our youth and our judiciary is guaranteed by the fraudulent electoral system we run,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed criticised the Buhari administration, recalling that some who served in that government are now presenting themselves in the ADC as potential saviours. He noted that Buhari had served in the corruption-ridden regime of the late General Sani Abacha, adding that “Nigeria is still recovering funds looted during that era.”
He expressed disappointment in Buhari’s government, describing it as “one of the most corrupt in Nigeria’s history.”
“Everybody knows how corrupt that (Abacha) government was. Up till now, money is still being claimed by the federal government as stolen during that period. Those who came to power in 2015 were like wolves. Corruption started afresh, and the whole system was about party and campaign contributions,” he stated.
Baba-Ahmed alleged that the political circle around Buhari was driven by self-interest and financial motives rather than service to the nation. He added that the same group now seeks political rehabilitation under the ADC.
“They are deceiving us. The ADC is a deception. Those who ruined Nigeria between 2015 and 2023 cannot now come under a new platform and claim they want to fix the country,” he declared.
He reaffirmed his loyalty to Peter Obi and the Labour Party, stating,
“I am in Labour Party, for God’s sake. I am a Peter Obi man, and I want him to contest again in 2027.”