Former Labour Party (LP) vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has reignited discussions on leadership renewal in Nigeria, asserting that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambitions stretch back decades to when he (Datti) was serving his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Baba-Ahmed recalled that Atiku was already a presidential aspirant during his NYSC service year.

He highlighted that the duo later contested party primaries in 2018, and again faced each other in the 2023 general election, when he was a vice-presidential candidate on a different platform.

“When I was doing my NYSC, Baba Atiku was an aspirant, and in 2018 we contested primaries together. In 2023, we contested again… and for God’s sake, in 2027 again?” Baba-Ahmed said, underscoring what he views as a cycle of recurring candidacies by older political figures.

Baba-Ahmed used the remarks to call for a “new generation of leaders” to take the helm in Nigerian politics, arguing that capable Nigerians are frequently discouraged by a political system he described as expensive, hostile and dominated by entrenched interests.

“There is need for a new generation of Nigerian leaders, and they do exist,” he said, urging that broad participation be encouraged to help tackle the country’s persistent economic and social challenges.

The veteran politician also addressed speculation that he was announcing his own presidential bid for 2027, dismissing such reports as exaggerated.

Baba-Ahmed clarified that he had merely reaffirmed his Labour Party membership and that any decision on future contests would depend on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable and his party’s position.