Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has responded to backlash following a viral photo of him and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, taken during a condolence visit in Daura, Katsina State.
Obi had visited the home of the late President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, July 16, to pay his respects, a day after the former leader was buried. While there, he ran into Bashir Ahmad—one of his more vocal critics on social media. Later that day, Bashir posted a photo of the two of them, a gesture some Obidients (Obi’s loyal supporters) did not take lightly.
But Bashir says the moment was far from political. Sharing what happened on his social media handle, he recounted the series of greetings and meetings that led up to the now-talked-about photo.
“When I arrived at Baba’s house,” Bashir explained, “I greeted people like Mallam Mamman Daura, Atiku Abubakar, and Nasir El-Rufai. Peter Obi was sitting next to them, and I greeted him too.”
He said Obi even referenced one of his recent tweets in a friendly tone. “He smiled, offered his condolences, and mentioned that he admired my loyalty to President Buhari, even after his time in office.”
According to Bashir, it wasn’t until Obi was about to leave that the idea of taking a photo came up. “It was lighthearted, respectful. He joked about me supporting him and admired the vast farmland he saw coming into Daura.”
But once the photo went online, the reaction was swift and intense—from the Obidient corner.
“I expected the criticism to come from within my party,” Bashir said, “but interestingly, they understood the context. It’s the Obidients who turned a peaceful, respectful moment into a political storm.”
He concluded with a sharp reflection: “If Peter Obi really wants to build the kind of national support necessary to become president, his supporters need to learn tolerance. You can’t build coalitions by harassing or gatekeeping. Politics is about dialogue, not division.”
In times of grief, humanity should take precedence over political rivalry. And perhaps, as Bashir subtly implied, this photo should have been a quiet reminder that respect still has a place in Nigeria’s political space.
