Former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has criticised Peter Obi over his decision to exit the party, questioning his approach to handling political disputes.

Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, raised concerns in a viral video circulating on social media, suggesting that the former Anambra State governor should reconsider any ambition for the 2027 presidential race if he is unwilling to confront internal party challenges.

He argued that Obi ought to have remained within the Labour Party to address its crisis rather than leaving, stressing the importance of resilience in political leadership.

“As much as I dislike what the All Progressives Congress has done against Nigerians, someone who got the Labour Party’s ticket so easily should have stayed to fix the problem of the party no matter how difficult it is.

“I stood and I earned the wrath of many because I said ‘come and reconcile’ in Labour Party.

“Only for me to hear, to read it, and to even view it in the news. Here’s my former leader, my boss who I believe in, saying wherever there is a quarrel, he will walk away. So, there is a quarrel in Nigeria, you will walk away? These are things that don’t add up,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed also expressed reservations about a potential political alliance between Obi and former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, noting that such a ticket may struggle to gain traction in the northern region.

The development follows Obi’s recent move from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), which he attributed to persistent internal tensions and structural challenges within the party.

Obi had earlier exited the Labour Party after contesting the 2023 presidential election alongside Baba-Ahmed.