ABUJA, NIGERIA — The internal politics of Nigeria’s opposition coalition have fractured further following public comments by the former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, who openly questioned whether New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso could replicate the sacrifices needed to promote Peter Obi across Northern Nigeria.
The critical assessment comes amid ongoing, tense alignment talks between alternative political movements looking to form a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) establishment.
The Doubt Over Political Sacrifices
Speaking during an interactive political forum in Abuja, Baba-Ahmed cast deep doubts on the political willingness of the former Kano State Governor to subordinate his own ambitions for a broader national consensus.
Reflecting on the dynamics of the 2023 presidential election and future alliances, Baba-Ahmed noted that building a solid northern base for a southern candidate requires intense personal and structural sacrifices—something he feels Kwankwaso’s camp has historically resisted.
The critique highlights the unresolved ego clashes and regional calculations that blocked a highly anticipated Labour Party and NNPP alliance in previous cycles, where both Obi and Kwankwaso refused to step down as secondary running mates for the other.
The VP Clout Debate and Northern Pride
Baba-Ahmed’s public skepticism arrives at a highly sensitive time for the Kwankwasiyya movement. Only recently, Kwankwaso’s loyalists faced fierce regional condemnation from northern elders and commentators—including Malam Abdulsalam Isahaq—for allegedly demoting the memory of the revered late Premier Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, just to market Kwankwaso’s suitability for a vice-presidential slot.
Analysts note that this desperation to prove Kwankwaso’s national worth has exposed deep internal anxieties within the NNPP leadership:
- The Northern Monopoly Claim: Kwankwaso’s defenders frequently argue that he holds the exclusive key to unlocking mass northern votes, making him unwilling to play a secondary promotional role for alternative opposition figures.
- The Realignment Deficit: Opposition insiders complain that while alternative parties are suffering financial and legislative strains—evoked by NDC aspirant Chidi Mike lamenting his ₦1 million daily Abuja lobbying bills—top-tier northern leaders remain too rigid to build a flexible compromise.
Fractured Opposition vs. Fortified Establishment
The public friction between the Labour Party and NNPP camps plays directly into the hands of the ruling APC. While opposition leaders trade blame over regional promotional efforts, the country continues to deal with a severe security breakdown, highlighted by armed Fulani herdsmen renaming sections of the Adiga Forest between Ado and Okpokwu LGAs as “Sambisa Forest,” and online terrorists openly flaunting ransom proceeds on TikTok without DSS intervention.
With former federal lawmaker Hon. Nnenna Ukeje recently blasting the current administration as an insular “Lagos cabal monopoly,” political observers maintain that the opposition’s inability to present a unified, self-sacrificing regional front makes it nearly impossible to challenge the centralized power of the incumbent presidency.
