Datti Baba-Ahmed considers 2027 presidential ambition—on one condition

Former Labour Party Vice Presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has revealed he may consider running for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027—if key figures, including Peter Obi, decline to contest.

In an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, July 22, Baba-Ahmed said his interest in the presidency would only be activated if Obi and another unnamed southern politician opt out of the race. He stressed that personal ambition is not his driving force.

“Look at my trajectory, and I’ve said this repeatedly, that in 2019 I aspired for the presidency and I lost, together with 11 others,” he said. “I religiously supported Peter Obi and I would do so again in 2027.”

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Baba-Ahmed declared his unwavering loyalty to Obi, describing the Labour Party presidential candidate as someone firmly in the game. “Peter will contest for sure because he’s in the game, he contested before, I’ll support him. If he doesn’t, or another person that I won’t call his name from the South doesn’t contest, then I might consider it,” he stated.

Emphasising his core motivation, Baba-Ahmed remarked: “I’m not ambitious. My key ambition is to stop the killings, stop the stealing, stop the slide.”

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Datti Baba-Ahmed was Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, which, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), finished third behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

While he refrained from naming the second potential candidate from the South, his comments have sparked speculation about emerging power dynamics within the Labour Party and Nigeria’s wider political landscape ahead of 2027.

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