The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate during the 2023 poll, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, yesterday parted ways.
Baba-Ahmed, who reiterated his commitment to the party and declared his intention to run for president in 2027 polls, described the chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as disgrunted elements.
At a rally held at the LP National Secretariat in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), he clarified that his ambition does not imply an intention to step into Obi’s shoes.
The rally was presided over by the factional chairman, Julius Abure, who said that the LP is intact under his leadership.
Prior to his declaration of ambition, there was no rift between Baba-Ahmed and Obi, who left the LP for the ADC last week.
Barely a week after his defection, Obi’s followers in the Obedient Movement said the former Anambra State governor would contest for the ADC presidential ticket.
Its National Coordinator, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, said under no condition would Obi also accept to be running mate to anybody.
Why I want to govern, by Baba-Ahmed
Baba-Ahmed told party members that his aspiration was neither reactionary nor dependent on Obi’s political decisions, stressing that it predates the 2023 poll.
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.”
Baba-Ahmed, who represented Kaduna North in the Senate, reaffirmed his loyalty and commitment to the party, saying that it once gave him the platform to seek power.
The 56-year-old politician said he does not have confidence in the ADC, insisting that those behind the coalition are “disgruntled politicians.”
He recalled his earlier attempt to secure the LP ticket, noting that he had contested during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary before aligning with Obi in the LP.
Baba-Ahmed said: “In October 2018, I participated in the primary 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.”
Baba-Ahmed reflected on the moderating influence of religion and ethnicity, saying that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees the right to seek elective office to every Nigerian.
He said: “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 said having made his intention known, he would adhere strictly to party rules and electoral guidelines.
He added: “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.”
Abure: I am LP chairman
Abure, who thanked Baba-Ahmed for taking a bold position, said that he is the LP leader
He noted that Baba-Ahmed decided to stay on in the party despite speculations that he might defect, following Obi’s exit.
Abure said LP is intact because key figures, including Abia State Governor Alex Otti, have refused to defect.
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 with 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 6 million votes. We all know what happened.”
Abure disclosed that Baba-Ahmed personally suggested a meeting of party leaders and members to reaffirm unity within the party.
He said: “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.”
‘Nenadi-Usman not defecting’
The Chairman of the factional National Caretaker Committee, Senator Esther Nenadi- Usman, would not defect to ADC, a source said.
According to the source, she remains the National Chairman of the Labour Party to the glory of God. She has a fantastic job she’s doing in the Labour Party, and that job is not yet concluded because Nigeria is still yet to be rescued from the clutches of bad governance plaguing it.”
Asked when Nenadi-Usman is staying back in LP because she knows that Obi cannot get the ADC ticket, the source added: “It has nothing to do with who gets what ticket. It’s about the fight to rescue Nigeria, starting with the rescue of the Labour Party from the hands of impostors.”
2027: PDP to meet Obi, Atiku, says Ogidi
The PDP National Vice Chairman (Southsouth), Emmanuel Ogidi, disclosed that the party had reached out to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Obi.
He said the consultations are aimed at rebuilding and strengthening the main opposition party.
Ogidi, who spoke on television, said: “We are doing the rounds. We have already seen a former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and a former President, Ibrahim Babangida (IBB). It is all about seeing those who are important in Nigeria to tell them that we are alive and moving.”
He added: “I know you are going to ask me about Obi. Yes, we also have plans to see Peter Obi. Even Atiku Abubakar, as the former vice president of the country. We are going to meet him. You see, PDP is the real face of democracy in Nigeria.”
