Former Labour Party vice‑presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba‑Ahmed, has criticised Nigeria’s leading opposition politicians, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, describing them as “office seekers” rather than genuine opposition leaders.
Speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics, Baba‑Ahmed questioned how opposition figures have responded to worsening insecurity, particularly after the March 2026 bomb blasts in Maiduguri, Borno State, where suspected suicide bombers struck the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and two busy markets, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 100 others.
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“Tell me, in all these opposition leaders, who has led us to go and walk on the streets of Maiduguri?” he asked, pointing to the absence of visible solidarity from opposition politicians after the attacks.
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He recalled that both President Bola Tinubu and the late Muhammadu Buhari visited Maiduguri during the height of the insurgency, saying their presence showed empathy with communities under siege. “They went and walked on the streets of Maiduguri, shaking hands with people and all that,” he said.
Baba‑Ahmed dismissed social media reactions from opposition politicians as inadequate. “No, it’s not enough that they are tweeting about it, that’s child’s play. They are not opposition members, they are office seekers,” he stated.
While criticising Obi and Atiku, Baba‑Ahmed praised former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, describing him as “an excellent material.”
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He also revisited his political relationship with Obi, noting disagreements over the former Anambra governor’s choices of political alignment.
His intervention comes as insecurity continues to dominate Nigeria’s national discourse, with Borno State still reeling from recent bomb blasts.
Baba‑Ahmed maintains that opposition figures he criticised are more focused on ambition than on showing leadership through action, a debate that is likely to shape political positioning ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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