Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s Vice Presidential candidate in 2023 has refused to tow the line of his principal in the last election, Peter Obi to decamp to another party but has instead formally declared his interest in contesting for the presidency in 2027 on the platform of his party.
Baba-Ahmed made the declaration at a rally held at the Labour Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja where he assured that his aspiration was neither reactionary nor dependent on Peter Obi’s political decisions.
He pointed out that his presidential ambition predates the 2023 election, noting that “I have made myself to contest for the office in 2027. I’m not following anybody’s trajectory or stepping into anybody’s shoes.
“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 recalled his earlier attempt to secure his party’s presidential ticket, noting that he had contested in the Peoples Democratic Party primaries years before aligning with Obi in the Labour Party.
“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,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also addressed concerns about religion and ethnicity, insisting that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees every qualified citizen the right to seek 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 said.
However, Baba-Ahmed noted that while he had made his intention known, he would adhere strictly to party and electoral guidelines.
“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,” he stated.
Reacting, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, commended Baba-Ahmed for remaining in the party despite speculations that he might defect, following Obi’s exit.
Baba-Ahmed was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, where the Labour Party came third, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Last week, Obi announced his departure from the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress.
