Baba-Ahmed Declares Presidential Bid

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, formally announced his bid for the 2027 presidential elec-tion yesterday.

Baba-Ahmed also reiterated his commitment to Labour Party (LP), signalling continuity amid the current wave of political realignments and speculations.

Baba-Ahmed, who was Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, announced his bid at a rally at the party’s Abuja headquarters.

The announcement came shortly after Peter Obi’s defection from LP to ADC, just a week ago.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Labour Party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Baba-Ahmed said he would not follow Obi to ADC.

He stated, “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.

“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.

“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.”

Baba-Ahmed stated that he would adhere strictly to party and electoral guidelines.

He 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.”

LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, commended Baba-Ahmed for remaining in the party despite speculations that he might defect following Obi’s exit.

Abure said the development demonstrated that LP remained intact, adding that several key figures, including the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, had also chosen to stay back.

He stated, “Only recently, the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, told the world that he joined the party before Peter Obi did – this is true. Otti also said he was not going to defect to Peter Obi.

“On the night Peter Obi defected, I received a telephone call from our Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed.

“He said he is not leaving the party because it was the platform upon which he, along with the former candidate, received 10 million votes from Nigerians, which was reduced to 6 million votes. We all know what happened.”