Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation magazine, has once again criticised Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 election, over his comments questioning former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s interest in contesting the presidency in 2027.
Baba-Ahmed had recently faulted Atiku’s repeated presidential ambitions, insisting that Nigeria needed a new generation of leaders to move the country forward.
Reflecting on Atiku’s long political journey, Baba-Ahmed said the former vice-president had been pursuing the presidency since his youth service days.
“When I was doing my NYSC, Baba Atiku was an aspirant, and in 2018, we contested the primaries together. In 2023, we contested again, with me as a vice-presidential candidate elsewhere, when his vice president had left him. And, for God’s sake, in 2027 again,” he said.
He argued that Nigeria required “a whole new generation” of leaders capable of tackling the country’s problems, adding that the political system had become dominated by godfathers and broken promises.
Reacting via his verified X account, Momodu strongly rejected Baba-Ahmed’s argument, questioning whether age should be used to disqualify anyone from pursuing personal political ambitions.
“Does being old mean you’re no longer good and visionary? Does age disqualify anyone from personal aspirations?” Momodu asked.
He further questioned whether Atiku had ever prevented Baba-Ahmed or Peter Obi from contesting previous elections.
“What makes you better than ATIKU ABUBAKAR, who owns the American University just like you own Baze University, and was Vice President of Nigeria?” Momodu wrote.
Momodu also challenged the assumption that younger politicians automatically deserved support, asking whether anyone was expected to abandon personal ambitions simply because someone else was younger.
He defended Atiku’s political relevance, pointing to his decades-long experience, nationwide political structure, and strong support base across regions with large voting populations.
“If you admit that ATIKU is more formidable and comes from the regions where the votes are more voluminous, why can’t you appreciate, imbibe, and support his doggedness?” he added.
The exchange comes amid Momodu’s earlier criticism of Baba-Ahmed for dismissing the African Democratic Congress as a party of disgruntled politicians.
Speaking on a television programme, Momodu had described Baba-Ahmed as “an aggrieved person,” comparing his stance to that of “a jilted lover.”
“He ran with Peter Obi the last time; he would expect to run again, but they should not turn themselves into serial contestants,” Momodu said.
