Datti Baba-Ahmed Blames Corruption For Buhari’s Failure, Launches Fresh Attack

Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has described the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as the most corrupt government Nigeria has ever experienced.

According to reports, Baba-Ahmed made the claim during an appearance on MIC On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, where he shared his assessment of the former administration and the factors he believed contributed to its failure.

The former vice-presidential candidate attributed what he described as the spectacular failure of Buhari’s government largely to corruption, while acknowledging the former president’s death and expressing condolences.

“Why did Buhari fail so spectacularly? It’s because of corruption, I’m sorry. May his soul rest in peace. All of us are on that journey, and we’ll go and account for what we did,” Baba-Ahmed said.

He further alleged that Nigeria had never witnessed a government as corrupt and immoral as the Buhari administration.

Baba-Ahmed also connected his criticism of the former president to the 2023 general election, accusing Buhari’s administration of failing to fulfil its promise of conducting a credible electoral process.

He recalled that Buhari had pledged that the 2023 presidential election would be free and fair, but argued that issues surrounding the electronic transmission and collation of results fell short of those expectations.

Meanwhile, Baba-Ahmed also addressed his political relationship with former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, stressing that he operates independently and makes political decisions based on his personal principles and convictions.

He explained that this independence influenced his decision not to follow Obi into the African Democratic Congress (ADC), choosing instead to join the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

According to him, he had believed that the internal crisis within the Labour Party should have been resolved rather than prompting members to abandon the platform.

Baba-Ahmed argued that leaving one political party because of internal disagreements and moving to another does not necessarily solve the underlying problem, as similar challenges could emerge in any political organisation.

He maintained that his decision was based on his own assessment of the political situation and not on Obi’s choices.

“With due respect, Peter Obi does not own my politics, he does not own me. I am independent,” he stated.

The former senator, however, clarified that Obi was aware of his position and understood the reasons behind his decision.

Baba-Ahmed said he had previously explained his reasons for joining Obi and maintained that he had equally provided what he considered cogent and logical reasons for declining to move with him to the ADC.