SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo has pushed back against Datti Baba-Ahmed’s claim that none of the leading contenders in the 2027 presidential race can fix Nigeria, insisting that the former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate cannot make such a judgment about candidates he has never dealt with. Adebayo made the remarks during an Arise Television interview […]
SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo has pushed back against Datti Baba-Ahmed’s claim that none of the leading contenders in the 2027 presidential race can fix Nigeria, insisting that the former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate cannot make such a judgment about candidates he has never dealt with.
Adebayo made the remarks during an Arise Television interview on Sunday, responding to Datti’s recent assessment of the major presidential contenders, which reportedly included his former political partner, Peter Obi.
According to Adebayo, Datti’s conclusion may have been influenced by his own experience with politicians he had previously worked with. He argued that while Datti was entitled to speak from those experiences, he should not extend them to politicians whose leadership abilities he had not personally encountered.
The SDP candidate said Datti’s assessment appeared particularly connected to his experience with Obi, with whom he served as the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate during the 2023 presidential election.
Adebayo explained that Datti’s relationship with Obi could have shaped his opinion about Obi’s capacity to govern. However, he questioned the basis for applying that experience to other presidential hopefuls who had never worked with Datti.
“Senator Datti is talking from experience,” Adebayo said, urging him to restrict his assessment to people he had actually dealt with. He added that Datti could not make the same judgment about candidates such as himself without having had direct dealings with them.
He further suggested that Datti’s experience with Obi may have convinced him that the former Anambra governor would not make a good president, but said that conclusion should remain tied to that particular experience.
Adebayo’s response comes as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with candidates and political figures increasingly exchanging views over who has the capacity to address Nigeria’s challenges.
The SDP candidate’s comments therefore place him directly in the growing debate over the competence of the major contenders, while rejecting any attempt to categorise him among candidates considered incapable of fixing the country.