I Have Made Myself Available – Datti Baba-Ahmed Signals Presidential Ambition

Datti Baba-Ahmed, a former Labour Party (LP) vice presidential candidate from the 2023 general elections, has announced his plans to compete for president in the 2027 general elections.
At a rally at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, he announced his interest.

Just one week has passed since former presidential candidate Peter Obi declared his intention to leave the Labour Party and join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Speaking to party members and supporters, Baba-Ahmed stated that his desire to become president predates the 2023 election and is not reactionary nor reliant on Obi’s political choices.

“I’ve declared my intention to run for office in 2027.” I’m not putting myself in other people’s shoes or following their path.

“May I remind you that I ran for president before His Excellency Governor Peter Obi? “You can view the records,” he remarked.

Concerns regarding the exit of Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, have been downplayed by the Julius Abure-led Labour Party, which maintains that it is still powerful and able to successfully compete in the general elections of 2027.

According to Abure, “we had laundered the image of our party with several influential people coming to us to say they want to join, and some actually joined.”

“Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, recently told the world that he joined the party before Peter Obi did, this is true,” he continued.

The LP chairman revealed that Governor Otti had made it apparent that he would not desert with Obi; he saw this as more evidence of the party’s stability.

Abure added, “He also said he was not going to defect with Peter Obi.”

According to reports, Abure made this statement on Wednesday at a party event at the Labour Party’s National Headquarters in Abuja, when fans and party leaders came together to reaffirm their dedication to the program.

Speaking to party supporters, Abure acknowledged Obi’s contribution to the party’s triumph in the 2023 elections but advised against blaming his influence alone for the party’s achievements.

He claims that the Labour Party’s expansion came before Obi joined and was fueled by internal changes and teamwork.

Recounting what happened when Obi defected, Abure disclosed that Datti Baba-Ahmed, the party’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, called him and reiterated his commitment to the party.

“Our Vice-Presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, Dr. Datti Baba-Ahmed, called me the night Peter Obi defected,” he stated.

According to Abure, Baba-Ahmed assured him he would stay in the Labour Party as it was the platform that garnered millions of votes for the 2023 presidential ticket.

“He said he is not leaving the party because it was the platform on which he and the former candidate received 10 million votes from Nigerians, which was reduced to six million votes; we all know what happened,” Abure continued.

He claims that Baba-Ahmed also proposed a reconciliation meeting with senior party members, but then decided that grassroots followers should also attend.