2027: “APC Knows How To Defeat Atiku” – Datti Baba-Ahmed Fires Warning To ADC Coalition

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, has cautioned the African Democratic Congress (ADC) against fielding former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential race.

In an interview with Trust TV, the 55-year-old politician argued that President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are already familiar with how to outmaneuver Atiku at the polls.

He criticized the idea of relying on a predetermined candidate, referencing the APC’s strategy in 2015 when Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the party’s flagbearer.

“If Atiku is the candidate, they already know how to counter him. He’s welcome to run, and if he wins, we’ll support him. But the key to winning is presenting a candidate who’s unpredictable—someone they can’t figure out or target,” Baba-Ahmed said.

He further noted that the current coalition, comprising influential figures like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, David Mark, and several ex-governors, is crowded with individuals nursing presidential ambitions.

According to him, unlike APC’s past advantage with Tinubu backing other aspirants in 2007, or Buhari bringing in a solid 12-million-vote base in 2015, ADC lacks a unifying figure with that kind of strategic influence.

Clarifying that his views were not an attack on the coalition, Baba-Ahmed stressed that he had yet to see a coherent plan that could unseat Tinubu in 2027.

He said, “The coalition has options and resources, but it’s also overloaded with ambition. Those ambitions must be managed. You can’t run a conventional campaign against an incumbent like Tinubu and expect to win. You need unconventional thinking and a strategy capable of achieving the extraordinary.”