Datti Baba-Ahmed Speaks On How Atiku Has Been Contesting Since His NYSC Days, Video Emerges

• Datti Baba-Ahmed highlights the need for generational leadership change in Nigeria’s political landscape
• Atiku Abubakar's decades-long presidential ambition raises questions about political renewal in the system
• Datti emphasizes the discouraging political structure hindering capable leaders from emerging in Nigeria

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Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has reignited the debate over generational leadership in Nigeria, recalling that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been contesting for the presidency since his days in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Datti made the remarks on Friday, January 9, during a live appearance on Channels Television, where he reflected on Nigeria’s political landscape, his long interaction with Atiku, and the need for younger, reform-minded leaders to take charge of the country’s future.

Atiku’s presidential ambition dates back decades

Datti said Atiku’s quest for Nigeria’s top office stretches back several decades, noting that he was already a presidential aspirant when he himself was serving as a corps member.

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“When I was doing my NYSC, Baba Atiku was an aspirant, and in 2018 we contested primaries together,” he said.

He stressed that Atiku’s repeated attempts at the presidency reflect a wider issue within Nigeria’s political system, where power remains concentrated within a narrow circle.

Repeated contests raise questions about political renewal

The Labour Party leader recalled that he again faced Atiku during the 2023 general election, describing the cycle of recurring candidacies as troubling for a country seeking progress.

“In 2023, we contested again. I, as a vice president elsewhere, when his vice president had left him. And for God’s sake, in 2027 again?” Datti remarked.

According to him, Nigeria’s challenges require fresh thinking and a departure from long-standing political patterns.

Call for a new generation of Nigerian leaders

Datti strongly advocated a generational shift, insisting that capable and visionary Nigerians exist but are often shut out of the political process.

“There is need for a new generation of Nigerian leaders, and they do exist. A whole new generation are waiting for a new leader to lead them to a new party,” he said.

He argued that without deliberate efforts to open up the political space, the country risks stagnation.

Political system discourages capable Nigerians

Criticising Nigeria’s political structure, Datti described it as costly, hostile and dominated by entrenched interests, which discourages competent individuals from participating.

“There are good Nigerians, people capable of solving Nigeria’s problems, but they are discouraged by the expensive, difficult, treacherous system full of godfathers and bad promises,” he added.

He said this reality has contributed to voter apathy and declining public trust in democratic institutions.

Denies plans to contest presidency

Datti also dismissed reports suggesting he had declared an intention to contest the presidency, describing such claims as false and misleading.

He concluded by stating that many competent Nigerians are ready to serve, but are waiting for credible leadership and structural reforms that would allow merit, not political muscle, to determine leadership.

2027: Datti says Obi may not get ADC's ticket

Previously, Legit.ng reported that former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has cast doubt on the likelihood of Peter Obi clinching the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general election.

Datti cited entrenched interests and unresolved ambitions within the emerging opposition coalition.