Atiku Abubakar better presidential candidate than Peter Obi – Baba-Ahmed

Former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has stated that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is in a stronger position than former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to secure the African Democratic Party’s presidential ticket through a party convention.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed clarified that remarks attributed to Dr. Umar Ardo, Convener of the Northern League of Patriots and Democratic Leaders, were not intended to discourage Obi from contesting. Rather, they were meant to highlight the potential difficulties he may face within the conventional nomination process.

According to Baba-Ahmed, Obi stands a higher risk of losing if the party’s candidate is chosen through a convention rather than by consensus or endorsement. He argued that Atiku’s extensive political experience, national reach, well-established structures, and loyal support base give him a clear advantage.

Baba-Ahmed emphasized that Atiku’s deep understanding of internal party democracy sets him apart from 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.”