A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has taken a massive jibe at Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, over his recent verbal attacks on members of the coalition..
Momodu, Publisher of Ovation Magazine, described Baba-Ahmed as “an aggrieved person” and even compared his conduct to that of “a jilted lover.”
He made the remarks on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he responded to Baba-Ahmed’s comments from the previous day while formally announcing his intention to vie for the 2027 presidency under the Labour Party.
During that declaration, Baba-Ahmed had labelled some members of the ADC coalition as “disgruntled politicians” and dismissed former Labour Party members who moved to the ADC as “political travellers.”
Reacting to those statements, Momodu said he found Baba-Ahmed’s tone surprising and cautioned that political discourse must not be driven by irritation or personal emotions.
“He has a right to say anything. I am very, very surprised about how he talks down on other politicians,” Momodu said.
Momodu acknowledged that Baba-Ahmed could seek the presidency just like any other aspirant but stressed that the political landscape had shifted significantly since the 2023 polls.
“He is free to contest, but he knows that today the Labour Party is not what it was in the last election,” he said.
The media entrepreneur argued that Baba-Ahmed’s displeasure toward the ADC was rooted in unmet political ambitions within the new coalition arrangement.
“And the reason he is aggrieved is that he goes and pursues his own dreams and knows that, in that coalition, it is not likely,” he added.
Momodu further interpreted Baba-Ahmed’s remarks as emotional outbursts rather than strategic political reasoning.
“I’m not bothered at all. He is an aggrieved person; he’s like a jilted lover. He ran with Peter Obi the last time; he would expect to run again, but they should not turn themselves into serial contestants.”
He criticised narrow political thinking and insisted that national interest should outweigh personal ambition.
“Only serial contestants would not think about the larger picture,” Momodu said, noting that coalition-building requires compromise and tactical planning.
He referenced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s decision to choose Peter Obi as his running mate in 2019 as an example of forward-looking political judgement.
“Ever before, there was Datti, and there was Atiku Abubakar, a visionary man, who saw Peter Obi as a star of Nigerian politics and picked him in 2019 against the wishes of some governors,” Momodu said.
Momodu ended that political success is ultimately determined by structure, reach, and numbers, emphasising that elections remain “a game of mathematics,” urging politicians to align with platforms capable of securing electoral victory.
