Baba-Ahmed, who was the running mate to former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, made the declaration at a rally held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
His announcement comes barely one week after Peter Obi announced his departure from the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress.
This move has triggered intense debate over the future of Labour Party in the build up to the next elections.
While addressing party members and supporters, Baba-Ahmed said his aspiration was neither reactionary nor dependent on Obi’s political decisions. He (Baba-Ahmed) emphasized that his presidential ambition predates the 2023 election.
“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 said.
The former Kaduna lawmaker recalled his earlier attempt to secure his party’s presidential ticket, noting that he had contested in the Peoples Democratic Party primaries years before aligning with Obi in the Labour Party.
“In October 2018, I participated in the primaries 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,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also addressed concerns about religion and ethnicity, insisting that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees every qualified citizen the right to seek elective office.
“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,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed’s declaration has added a fresh dimension to the emerging 2027 presidential contest, as parties begin early positioning amid shifting alliances within the opposition.
