Former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is far better positioned than former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to emerge as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Party through a party convention.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed explained that recent comments attributed to Dr Umar Ardo, Convener of the Northern League of Patriots and Democratic Leaders, were not meant to suggest that Obi should not contest the presidency, but rather to highlight the challenges he may face within the conventional party nomination process.
According to him, Obi is likely to lose if the ticket is decided strictly through a convention rather than by consensus or endorsement, arguing that Atiku has a clear advantage due to his experience, wider national spread, stronger political structures, and loyal support base.
Baba-Ahmed said Atiku understands the mechanics of internal party democracy better than other aspirants, describing him as “head and shoulders” above the rest when it comes to emerging through a convention.
He said: “I think the comment that Dr Ardo made was not that Peter Obi shouldn’t contest. The point he was making is that if you go through the conventional process of bringing out a candidate for a party and that is a convention, not an anointing, not a handover or surrender of the ticket, Peter Obi is likely to lose. He used the word ‘likely’ many times, and I more or less agree with him.
“Vice President Atiku is head and shoulders above all the other candidates in terms of emerging through a convention, either through experience or because he has wider spread, better structures, more loyal people, and understands the mechanics of internal party democracy better than the others.
“I think Governor Peter Obi, as well as those around him, are not helping his case. What he really needs to do, in my view, is to go out and soil his boots. He is one of the most travelled politicians I have seen in recent times, and that is good for him.
“He tries to stay in touch with the grassroots, which is also good, but what he needs to do now is to sit down with these people and come to terms with the fact that he is now running against hardline politicians who have their eyes on the same goal.
“What Vice President Atiku did by telling his supporters to calm down and avoid trading insults was the right thing. That is something Peter Obi should do even more.”
