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Labour Party chieftain and 2023 vice-presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed has formally declared his intention to run for president in 2027.

Baba-Ahmed made the announcement on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 while addressing supporters at the Labour Party (LP) national secretariat in Abuja.

“I have presented myself to contest for the office in 2027. I am not following anybody’s trajectory or stepping into anybody’s shoes,” he said, adding that his ambition predates that of his former running mate, Peter Obi.

“Before His Excellency, Governor Peter Obi, filed for the presidency, I had aspired to the office before him. The records are there,” he noted.

Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in the 2023 election, declared his bid barely a week after Obi left the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), now emerging as a rally platform for some opposition figures ahead of 2027.

Although Obi had earlier hinted at contesting again, Baba-Ahmed appears aligned with the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party — a faction that has criticised Obi’s defection and continues to face internal legitimacy disputes.

In April 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that Abure’s tenure as national chairman had expired, yet the faction proceeded to conduct primaries for subsequent by-elections and the FCT Area Council polls.

Baba-Ahmed recalled that he previously sought the presidency during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in 2018 before later joining Obi on the LP ticket.

“I saw a rare opportunity for national unity in the election of Peter Obi in 2023, and that was why I chose to go along with it,” he said.

Addressing questions about religion and ethnicity, he stressed that his decision to run is driven by national challenges.

“Yes, I am a practising Muslim. Yes, I am a Hausa man. The constitution allows me to contest. I am doing this because Nigeria needs help,” he said.

He also pledged to abide by party rules and electoral timelines.

“As a law-abiding citizen and loyal party member, until INEC releases its timetable and the Labour Party calls for aspirants, I will not say anything further. But Nigerians know the truth,” he added.