ABUJA — Former 2023 vice-presidential candidate Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has officially declared his intention to run for the presidency in 2027 on the platform of the Labour Party (LP). Speaking on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at a rally at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Baba-Ahmed characterized himself as a stabilizing force following the recent departure of his former running mate, Peter Obi.
His declaration comes exactly one week after Obi announced his exit from the LP to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Baba-Ahmed took pains to clarify that his ambition is independent and long-standing, predating the 2023 election cycle.
“I am not following anybody’s trajectory or stepping into anybody’s shoes,” Baba-Ahmed stated. “Before His Excellency Peter Obi filed for the presidency, I had already aspired. The records are there”.
The Labour Party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, used the rally to project a united front, dismissing concerns that Obi’s exit would weaken the party’s future prospects. Abure alleged that the party was “rigged out” of its true performance in 2023, claiming their official 6 million votes were actually as high as 10 million before being reduced.
Abure also confirmed that other key figures, including Abia State Governor Alex Otti, remain committed to the party despite political pressure to defect. Baba-Ahmed has reportedly proposed broad reconciliation efforts to heal internal fractures as the party prepares for 2027.
