The Labour Party’s (LP) vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election, insisting that his ambition predates that of Peter Obi.
Baba-Ahmed made the declaration on Wednesday at a rally held at the LP national secretariat in Abuja, amid ongoing realignments within the opposition following Obi’s recent exit from the party.
His announcement is coming barely a week after Obi formally announced his departure from the LP for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a move that has triggered debates over the party’s future and leadership direction ahead of the next general elections.
Addressing party members and supporters, Baba-Ahmed said his decision to seek the presidency was not influenced by Obi’s political moves, stressing that he had nursed presidential ambitions long before the 2023 election.
“I have made myself ready to contest for the office in 2027. I’m not following anybody’s trajectory or stepping into anybody’s shoes,” he said.
“Can I please remind you that before Peter Obi filed for the presidency, I aspired for the presidency before him? The records are there for you to see.”
The former senator recalled his participation in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries in 2018, noting that he later agreed to serve as Obi’s running mate in 2023 in the interest of national unity.
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“In October 2018, I participated in the primaries of the then PDP in Port Harcourt and walked to Obi for his vote, and he smiled at me. What a gentleman he was,” he said.
“If you heard me well, I saw a rare opportunity for national unity to have elected Peter Obi in 2023, and that is why I decided to flow with it.”
Baba-Ahmed also addressed concerns bordering on religion and ethnicity, insisting that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees every qualified citizen the right to contest for elective office.
“Yes, I am a practising Muslim. But I’m a Nigerian, and the constitution allows me to contest. You asked about my ethnicity.
“Yes, I am a Hausa man, and the Nigerian constitution also allows me to contest. I’m doing this because Nigeria needs help,” he stated.
He, however, said he would wait for the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Labour Party leadership to release official guidelines before taking further steps.
“As a law-abiding citizen and a loyal party member, until the timetable is released by INEC and the leadership of the Labour Party calls for interested aspirants, I will not say anything about it,” he added.
Reacting, the National Chairman of the LP, Julius Abure, commended Baba-Ahmed for remaining in the party despite speculation that he might defect following Obi’s exit, describing his decision as a show of loyalty and commitment to the party’s ideals.
