Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation magazine, has again taken on Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, over comments questioning former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s continued interest in contesting the presidency in 2027.
Baba-Ahmed had recently raised concerns about Atiku’s repeated attempts to become president, saying Nigeria needed a fresh generation of leaders. He argued that Atiku’s ambition had lasted for decades, dating back to his time as a youth corps member.
According to Baba-Ahmed, Atiku was already seeking the presidency during his National Youth Service Corps year. He also recalled that they both contested the Peoples Democratic Party primaries in 2018 and again in 2023, although Baba-Ahmed ran as a vice-presidential candidate on another platform at the time. He added that the former vice president was still being linked to the 2027 race, a development he felt showed a lack of space for new leadership.
Baba-Ahmed further stated that Nigeria needed “a whole new generation” of leaders who could deal with the country’s problems, while also criticizing what he described as a political system controlled by godfathers and unfulfilled promises.
Reacting to the remarks on his verified X account, Momodu defended Atiku and questioned Baba-Ahmed’s position. He argued that age alone should not be used to judge a person’s ability or vision.
Momodu asked whether growing older automatically meant a person could no longer pursue personal political goals. He also questioned if Atiku had ever blocked Baba-Ahmed or Peter Obi from contesting elections in the past.
In one of his comments, Momodu compared the achievements of both men, asking what made Baba-Ahmed superior to Atiku, whom he described as a former vice president of Nigeria and the founder of the American University of Nigeria, just as Baba-Ahmed owns Baze University.
He also challenged the idea that younger politicians should automatically be supported simply because of their age, insisting that no one should be forced to abandon personal ambitions to please others.
Momodu further noted that Atiku’s long political experience, nationwide structure, and strong support base across high voting regions could not be ignored. He said these factors made the former vice president a serious political figure whose persistence deserved respect.
The latest exchange adds to an ongoing public disagreement between the two men. Earlier, Momodu had criticized Baba-Ahmed for describing the African Democratic Congress as a party of disgruntled politicians. Speaking on Channels Television at the time, Momodu described Baba-Ahmed as an aggrieved individual and compared his attitude to that of a jilted lover.
Momodu said Baba-Ahmed might have expected to return as a running mate after the last election but warned against turning political ambition into repeated contests driven by frustration rather than strategy.