Peter Obi Answers Datti’s 2027 Attack: ‘I Improved Anambra, I Can Do the Same in Nigeria’
Peter Obi, the NDC's 2027 presidential candidate, has defended his governance capabilities by highlighting his achievements as Anambra State governor, countering criticisms from his former running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed. Obi outlined plans to restore order, reduce government costs, fight corruption, and prioritize national unity, security, health, education, and poverty alleviation. His campaign emphasizes a commitment to institutional integrity and human-centered development for Nigeria.
Peter Obi and his former running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, are heading into the 2027 election on very different political paths.
Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate on the Labour Party ticket in 2023, recently said none of the leading politicians challenging President Bola Tinubu could significantly improve Nigeria if elected.
He included Obi.
“I will simply advise Uncle Tinubu to prepare to hand over and move away, but not to the people contesting against him because none of them will improve Nigeria,” Baba-Ahmed said in a recent interview. When asked if he meant Obi as well, he replied: “Including Peter Obi, I’m sorry to say.”
Obi has now answered him, but without getting drawn into a personal exchange.
Obi points back to Anambra
Speaking in an interview previewed by Arise Television, Obi pointed to his time as governor of Anambra State as his evidence that he can deliver at the national level.
“I passed through Anambra State, and I improved the state in critical areas of development. And I can do the same thing in Nigeria,” he said.
Rather than respond directly to Baba-Ahmed's assessment of his ability, Obi laid out what he said would be his priorities in government.
He said he would cut what he described as excessive government spending, restore order to governance, fight corruption and reduce waste.
He also listed security, healthcare, education and poverty reduction among the areas he would focus on.
From running mates to separate camps
The exchange is notable because the two men were once at the centre of one of Nigeria's biggest opposition campaigns.
Obi and Baba-Ahmed ran together in 2023, finishing third behind Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar. Their political relationship later broke down as Obi moved towards a new political platform for 2027.
Baba-Ahmed has said he warned Obi against joining the political coalition that eventually became part of his new path. He has also criticised the politicians now positioning themselves against Tinubu, arguing that many belong to the same political establishment they claim they want to replace.
Obi, meanwhile, has secured the NDC presidential ticket and is preparing for another presidential run.
That makes the latest exchange more than an argument between two former political allies. It shows how sharply their views of the 2027 contest have diverged.
The record will now be part of the campaign
Obi's decision to answer criticism by pointing to Anambra also gives his campaign a familiar line of attack: judge him by what he did in office.
That argument will face scrutiny as the election approaches. Voters can compare his claims about Anambra with the state's actual record during his tenure and decide how much that experience says about his ability to run a country as large and complex as Nigeria.
For now, Obi is making his case in simple terms: his former running mate says he cannot change Nigeria; he says his record in Anambra suggests otherwise.
The 2027 campaign is already beginning to turn old political relationships into new campaign battles.