Amid growing rumors of political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, has firmly denied any intention to leave the party for a proposed opposition coalition.
In an interview on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Baba-Ahmed addressed the swirling speculation with a categorical response: “The general message is that I am yet to be convinced to leave Labour Party. I am yet to be convinced.”
The remarks were in reaction to claims that he might be preparing to join a broader political alliance that could potentially endorse former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate. Dismissing the idea, Baba-Ahmed questioned the rationale behind joining other parties: “No. My own thinking was, convince me why I should come into ADC. Where was ADC in 2023 when Labour Party claimed we got 10 million votes?”
Reiterating his commitment to the Labour Party, he emphasized his ongoing support for Peter Obi, his running mate in the 2023 elections. “I repeated the welcome that Labour Party’s arms are open to embrace back Peter Obi. I would like him to again win the nomination of Labour Party and contest in 2027, with or without me,” he stated.
Addressing speculation that he might run for president himself, Baba-Ahmed dismissed the claims outright. “Some people speak their fears. It is not true. I never said that,” he clarified. “I can tell you Peter Obi, for sure… I’m with him, I’ll support him.”
Baba-Ahmed also defended his recent participation in a factional National Executive Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Labour Party leader Julius Abure. He described his attendance as a strategic move aimed at party unity: “This is what leadership is about. I’m not a Labour Party leader, but I aspired to a position of leadership. And leaders don’t allow matters to degenerate, to disintegrate, irrespective of which party,” he explained.
He further added, “There are times that you belong to everybody so long as you are a leader. And remember the doctrine of necessity. This became very, very necessary for me to do.”
When asked whether Peter Obi was aware of his participation in the meeting, Baba-Ahmed responded, “He knows everything I do. I do carry him along… I absolutely told him that I was going there.”
On the topic of alleged ties between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Labour Party chairman Julius Abure, Baba-Ahmed offered a pointed but cautious critique. “Whoever captured so easily a country like Nigeria in the way they did… there is nothing else they won’t attempt to do. Between 2023 and 2027, it’s like destroy all the parties,” he warned.
He continued, “Uncontainable is welcome to continue to spend Nigerian resources in destroying Nigerian political parties, using the kind of Wikis… But like Nigerians say, one day the monkey goes to the market and he doesn’t come back.”
On his earlier controversial comments questioning the legitimacy of President Bola Tinubu’s election, Baba-Ahmed stood by his stance. “I am holding my head high. And I’m repeating here again… that evils do happen in societies like Nigeria. And Nigerian politics has not been shielded from that.”
He declined to engage in a public dispute with Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who had accused him of spreading dangerous falsehoods. “Don’t expect me to join issues with this woman. I will not. I have been on a mission to take away her boss’s job. And I will not allow her to distract me,” he said.
Despite the ongoing internal tensions within the Labour Party and external pressures, Baba-Ahmed concluded by affirming his dedication to fostering unity within the party and upholding its values. “They were elated. They are yearning for leadership. And I told them I’m there to do it,” he said. “While I was there to reconcile, I was also reconciling Labour Party and the general public by the same token.”
