Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has said none of the politicians running against President Bola Tinubu in 2027 can change Nigeria, including his 2023 running mate, Peter Obi.

The comment, shared from a Mic On interview, continues a public break with the ticket that finished third in the last presidential election.

Datti has repeatedly argued that Obi and Atiku Abubakar behave as office-seekers rather than a standing opposition, and that a coalition built around personal ambition will struggle to unseat an incumbent.

He has said he still respects Obi and hopes they can work together in some form. He has also said Obi does not own his politics. Earlier this year he left the Labour Party for the Peoples Redemption Party and described himself as independent.

Datti’s case is that defeating Tinubu requires more than a late alliance and social-media pressure. He has pointed to long-term organisation and a willingness to put the country ahead of who gets the ticket. He has denied that this is praise for the president.

The remark will be used by both camps. Allies of the government will present it as a confession from inside the old Obi project. Obi’s supporters will treat it as a former partner talking down a movement he no longer leads. Neither reading settles whether any candidate on the field can change the country. That remains a campaign argument, not a fact established by one interview.