Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, has declared his intention to contest for the presidency in the 2027 general election.
Baba-Ahmed made the declaration on Wednesday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
His announcement comes one week after Peter Obi, former LP presidential candidate, defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Addressing party members, Baba-Ahmed, said his presidential ambition was not connected to Obi’s political decisions.
He said his interest in the presidency existed long before the 2023 general election.
“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.”
Baba-Ahmed recalled that he had previously sought his party’s presidential ticket before joining Obi on the LP platform.
“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.
He said his decision to support Obi in 2023 was driven by what he described as a unique opportunity for national cohesion.
“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.
Responding to questions on religion and ethnicity, Baba-Ahmed said Nigeria’s constitution grants all qualified citizens the right to seek elective office.
“Yes, I am a practising Muslim. But I’m a Nigerian, and the constitution allows me to contest,” he said.
“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 he would formally pursue the ambition only when the electoral timetable is released.
“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 said.
