Indications have emerged that the northern establishment is mounting pressure on Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the proposed running mate of Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party to decline the offer.
Sources hinted that the announcement of the businessman and politician as running mate to the Labour Party candidate is being delayed because of this development.
Baba-Ahmed comes from the well known Baba Ahmed family in Kaduna, whose brother is Hakim Baba-Ahmed, spokesperson of the Northern Elders’ Forum, NEF.
Although the party had given Friday this week to make iron out issues, it was learnt that the party is also making frantic moves to get a substitute in case this nominee falls through in readiness for the July 15, deadline.
Business Hallmark checks revealed that Datti Ahmed is quite popular as a politician, and also youthful, well educated and founder of Baze university Abuja.
Meanwhile, his rumoured nomination as Obi’s running mate has been generating excitement among the supporters of the former Anambra State governor, as many see him as a perfect match for the ticket.
Datti was a member of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007, and was elected Senator for Kaduna North, in Kaduna State, Nigeria in April 2011 running on the Congress for Progressive Change ticket, with a remarkable record of the credit of sponsoring important legislation in a very short time.
He has four degrees: a BSc and MSc in Economics from University of Maiduguri, a MBA from University of Wales, Cardiff and in 2006. He successfully completed his PhD studies, earning the title of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Westminster.
After his service year at University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Ogun state, he worked as Projects Co-ordinator, Baze Research and Data Services Ltd. and as Officer II in the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, Lagos.
He worked as a Banking Officer, First Bank of Nigeria Plc from July 1997 to Dec 1998 and then came back to become the Managing Director of Baze Research and Data Services Ltd in July 1999 – January 2003, before venturing into politics.
In 2011, Sen. Baba-Ahmed established Baze University, an independent University located in Abuja, Nigeria.
Sen. Datti is a well accomplished philanthropist. Among many of his corporate social responsibility projects; he built and donated two junior secondary schools with total capacity of 4,000 students. It is worthy of note that the schools have graduated over 6,000 students to date.