Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has indicated interest in contesting 2027 presidential election, barely a week after Peter Obi announced his exit from the party.
Gatekeepers News reports that Baba-Ahmed said his presidential ambition did not start recently, stressing that he had nursed the aspiration long before Obi emerged as the Labour Party’s flagbearer in 2023. He recalled earlier attempts to seek his party’s ticket while still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He said, “Can I please remind you that before His Excellency Governor Peter Obi filed for the presidency, I aspired for the presidency before him? The records are there for you to see.”
The former lawmaker said he participated in the PDP presidential primaries in 2018 and personally approached Obi for support at the time, describing him as a gentleman. He added that he later stepped aside to support Obi in 2023 because he believed it was a rare opportunity to unite the country.
He said, “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.”
“If you heard me well in what I just submitted, 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.”
Addressing questions around religion and ethnicity, Baba-Ahmed said Nigeria’s constitution gives every qualified citizen the right to contest for any elective office, regardless of background.
He said, “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, however, said he would wait for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Labour Party to release official guidelines before making a formal declaration.
The politician said, “However, 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. But remember, I told you that Nigerians know the truth.”
Reacting to the development, Julius Abure, factional national chairman of the Labour Party, praised Baba-Ahmed for remaining in the party despite Obi’s exit, saying it showed the party was still united.
Abure said several key figures, including the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, had also chosen to stay, insisting that the party remained strong and focused ahead of future elections.
He said, “The Labour Party is intact, we will not let Nigerians down. We will remain together and provide a genuine alternative for Nigerians.”
