The publisher of Ovation International magazine, Dele Momodu, has launched a fresh verbal attack on Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, over remarks questioning former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s renewed interest in the 2027 presidential race.
The latest confrontation between the two political figures centres on Baba-Ahmed’s recent assertion that Nigeria requires “a whole new generation” of leaders, a position he articulated while criticising Atiku’s decades-long pursuit of the nation’s highest political office.
Baba-Ahmed, who ran alongside Peter Obi during the 2023 general elections, had expressed concern over what he described as the recycling of the same political figures across election cycles. Referencing Atiku’s enduring presidential ambition, he remarked that the former vice-president had been contesting since his own National Youth Service Corps 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,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
He went on to lament what he characterised as a political landscape dominated by godfathers and unfulfilled promises, insisting that fresh leadership was essential to addressing the nation’s multifaceted challenges.
Momodu, however, dismissed the argument in a strongly worded post on his verified X account, defending Atiku’s right to contest and questioning the premise that age should disqualify anyone from political ambition.
“Does being old mean you’re no longer good and visionary? Does age disqualify anyone from personal aspirations?” Momodu asked in a series of rhetorical questions directed at Baba-Ahmed.
He further challenged whether Atiku had ever prevented Baba-Ahmed or Obi from participating in previous elections, adding, “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’s defence of Atiku also touched on the former vice-president’s political infrastructure and electoral viability, particularly in regions with substantial voter populations. He argued that Atiku’s experience, network, and influence across Nigeria’s political terrain could not be easily dismissed or replaced by younger aspirants.
“If you admit that ATIKU is more formidable and comes from the regions where the votes are more voluminous… why can’t you appreciate, and imbibe, and support, his doggedness?” Momodu wrote.
The Ovation publisher also posed a pointed question about entitlement in politics, asking, “Can a man donate his personal dreams to you just because you’re younger?”
This is not the first time Momodu has taken issue with Baba-Ahmed’s public statements. The two have clashed previously over Baba-Ahmed’s characterisation of the African Democratic Congress as a party of “disgruntled politicians,” a label that appeared to irk Momodu, who has been associated with the ADC.
Speaking on Channels Television in an earlier interview, Momodu described Baba-Ahmed as “an aggrieved person,” comparing his demeanour to that of “a jilted lover.” He suggested that Baba-Ahmed’s frustration stemmed from unmet expectations within the Labour Party structure following the 2023 elections.
“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 during the broadcast.
The exchange reflects broader tensions within Nigeria’s opposition political space, where questions of generational succession, leadership renewal, and electoral strategy remain contentious. Atiku, who served as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007, has contested the presidency multiple times, including in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and most recently in 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party banner.
His political career has been marked by persistence, vast resources, and a formidable political machine, particularly in northern Nigeria. However, critics, including younger politicians and civil society voices, have increasingly called for a departure from what they describe as a “recycling” of old political elites.
