By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Peter Obi’s Presidential running mate in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, on Wednesday formally declared his interest in contesting the presidency in 2027.

Baba-Ahmed made the declaration at a rally held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

His announcement comes barely one week after Obi announced his departure from the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress.

This move has triggered intense debate over the party’s future and the direction of the wider opposition ahead of the next general election.

Addressing party members and supporters, Baba-Ahmed said his aspiration was neither reactionary nor dependent on Obi’s political decisions, stressing that his presidential ambition predates the 2023 election.

He said, “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.

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

He said, “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.”

Abure further disclosed that Baba-Ahmed personally suggested a meeting of party leaders and members to reaffirm unity within the party.

“In fact, he asked me to organise an event where members can come together. He first suggested that we meet at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel with a few senior members that he would foot the bill.

“But I suggested that we hold the event here at the party Secretariat and invite our members, artisans and ordinary people who truly own the party, and he agreed. That is why we are having this gathering here today.

“The Labour Party is intact, we will not let Nigerians down. We will remain together and provide a genuine alternative for Nigerians,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed’s declaration is coming on the heels of INEC declaration that the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party is no longer recognized following the Supreme Court ruling voiding his National Working Committee.

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The South-South Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emmanuel Ogidi, has reaffirmed that the suspensions of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, and others remain in effect.

Speaking on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Ogidi dismissed claims to the contrary as mere “noise.

“Nigerians know the truth.

At its national convention in November, the PDP expelled Wike, Fayose, Samuel Anyanwu, and eight others for what the party described as “anti-party” activities.

The convention, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, cited actions inconsistent with the party’s collective interest as justification and later issued certificates of expulsion to the affected members.

In response, the faction of the PDP loyal to Wike expelled Governor Seyi Makinde and others who supported the move.

Weeks after the expulsion, Wike maintained that he is still a member of the main opposition party.

“I’m still in the PDP. So those who remain, we’ll continue to work together,” Wike said.

He added, “I have also told the party, ‘Put your house in order. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t, it’s the party that will lose.”

Wike made the comment while reacting to the defection of some PDP lawmakers in the Rivers State Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“We still call on the party to work together to ensure the remaining members can be a relevant opposition. But they chose not to,” he concluded.

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Nigerian politician, Dr Kenneth Okonkwo, and a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared that the party represents Nigeria’s only viable path to national salvation.

Speaking on AIT Kakaaki, Okonkwo said the ADC’s mission is squarely focused on the welfare of Nigerians.

He criticized both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and questioned the strategies of the former presidential candidate Peter Obi.

He claimed that new members joining the party have carefully reviewed its constitution and been convinced of the caliber of leaders committed to the ADC’s vision.

“The whole reason for ADC is for the welfare of our people and the welfare of our nation,” Okonkwo said.

“As Nigeria stands today, this is the only option to rescue the country from the hands of incompetent and corrupt APC.”

He also weighed in on the role of the Labour Party and Peter Obi, suggesting that while Obi speaks about a “New Nigeria,” ADC remains the more credible platform to achieve meaningful national reform.

According to Okonkwo, even a review of current political realities offers no good news for Nigerians under existing party leaderships.

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