Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, has said his decision to run alongside Peter Obi came after several earlier attempts to secure a running mate for the ticket did not succeed.

According to him, Peter Obi had approached a number of prominent individuals to serve as his running mate, but three of them reportedly declined the offer for different personal and political reasons. He said this made the search for a vice presidential candidate difficult at the early stage of the campaign.

Baba-Ahmed explained that he eventually accepted the offer to join the ticket after those earlier rejections. He noted that his decision was influenced by the situation at the time and his willingness to support Obi’s presidential ambition ahead of the 2023 elections.

He, however, did not disclose the identities of those who allegedly turned down the offer, and provided no further details about the circumstances surrounding their refusal.