Former vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party Datti Baba-Ahmed has formally defected to the Peoples Redemption Party while casting significant doubt on whether northern Nigeria would rally behind the Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso presidential alliance in 2027, describing the political marriage as one burdened by unresolved questions about leadership hierarchy and regional loyalty that he did not believe could be easily bridged.
Speaking to journalists after completing his defection at the PRP secretariat, Baba-Ahmed was careful to frame his assessment as a personal opinion rather than an attack on either figure, reaffirming that he maintained excellent personal relationships with both men. “It is very unlikely that the North will rally around KO or OK. And this is my personal opinion. I still have an excellent relationship, I have much respect for both of them,” he said.
He disclosed that he had himself encouraged Obi to engage Kwankwaso and other opposition leaders as part of preparations for 2027, and had suggested the alliance now being formed. However, he said he had since concluded that it would be virtually impossible for Kwankwaso, who was older, more experienced, and carried a burning personal ambition for the presidency, to accept a deputy role under Obi. “You have a vice president that is older than you in age, education, political profile, and many other things. Who is going to be the president actually?” he asked.
Baba-Ahmed was sharply critical of Obi’s decision to leave the Labour Party amid its internal crisis, arguing that a leader who received a party’s presidential ticket at minimal personal cost had a moral obligation to remain and help rebuild the institution rather than walk away. He recalled standing alone in fighting what he described as constitutional breaches during the 2023 presidential poll while Obi remained silent, and said the posture of walking away from conflict was incompatible with the demands of national leadership in a country as complex and contested as Nigeria.
“Someone who got a Labour Party ticket so easily should have stayed to fix the problems of the Labour Party, however difficult they were. If there’s a quarrel in Nigeria, you’ll walk away? These are things that don’t add up,” he said.
He clarified that his move to the PRP was not driven by an ambition for a presidential ticket but by a determination to contribute to removing the Tinubu administration through legitimate democratic means. PRP Chairman Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said the party would lean towards public opinion in selecting its 2027 presidential candidate.
