Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has dismissed claims that he delivered only 3,000 votes to Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview aired on Channels Television, Baba-Ahmed described the allegation as inaccurate and said it did not reflect the political realities in his home state of Kaduna.
According to him, several people warned him before he accepted the Labour Party vice-presidential ticket that he could face criticism if the party failed to win the election. He noted that some of those predictions have since materialised, including questions about his electoral influence.
Baba-Ahmed said some of his supporters have pointed to his previous electoral successes as evidence that the allegations against him are unfounded. He recalled winning an election in Kaduna State with more than 366,000 votes, defeating several prominent political figures, including a serving governor and a senator.
He also revealed that during the 2023 election campaign, some people in his area expressed dissatisfaction with certain Labour Party candidates. Despite those concerns, he said he remained committed to the party’s presidential ticket and continued to support the campaign.
The former senator maintained that claims he contributed only 3,000 votes to Obi’s presidential bid were false and failed to reflect the level of support he enjoys among his constituents.
According to Baba-Ahmed: “My own people are saying that, can you now see, when you were not with Obi, you scored as high as 366,000 votes to defeat a serving governor, a senator.”
His remarks were made in response to ongoing debates about the Labour Party’s performance in the 2023 presidential election.
