Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed announced his intention to contest the 2027 presidency on the LP platform during a rally at the party's Abuja secretariat on January 7, 2026, emphasizing independence from Peter Obi's trajectory. The 56-year-old Kaduna-born politician, who ran with Obi in 2023, affirmed prior presidential ambitions predating Obi's candidacy and rejected following anyone's "shoes".
Baba-Ahmed recalled contesting PDP primaries in 2018 approaching Obi for support and pledged adherence to INEC timelines and LP processes as a "law-abiding citizen". Addressing Muslim/Hausa identity concerns, he invoked constitutional rights: "I am a practising Muslim... a Hausa man... but above all, a Nigerian" seeking national service.
Unlike Obi, who defected to ADC post-2023, Baba-Ahmed reaffirmed commitment, crediting LP's 6-10 million votes and crediting Abia Governor Alex Otti's similar stance. LP Chairman Julius Abure hailed the declaration as proof of party unity, noting Baba-Ahmed's post-Obi call rejecting defection.
The move fragments Obi's "Obidient" base amid PDP factionalism (Jonathan pledges), Tinubu endorsements (Asari Dokubo, Wike tours), and INEC's CVR relaunch, positioning Baba-Ahmed as northern opposition anchor. LP eyes primaries as 2027 heats up.