Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, who was the vice-presidential candidate of Nigeria’s Labour Party in the 2023 general election, has formally declared his intention to seek the presidency in 2027.
Okay News reports that Baba-Ahmed made the declaration on Wednesday at a gathering of party leaders and supporters at the Labour Party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
His announcement comes at a sensitive moment for the party, barely a week after its former presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi, announced his exit from the Labour Party to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Addressing speculation that his decision was triggered by Obi’s defection, Baba-Ahmed insisted his ambition was long-standing and independent of recent political developments.
“I have made myself 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 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 senator recalled his earlier attempts to contest for Nigeria’s top office, including his participation in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries in 2018, years before he teamed up 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,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“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.”
Speaking to broader national concerns, Baba-Ahmed pushed back against arguments rooted in religion or ethnicity, stressing that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees political rights to all qualified citizens.
“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.
Despite the bold declaration, the Labour Party chieftain said he would respect due process, noting that formal campaigns would only begin after the Independent National Electoral Commission releases the official timetable for the 2027 elections.
“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 added.
