Vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has denied rumours suggesting he has declared an interest in contesting the 2027 presidential election, Dockaysworld reports.
The clarification follows a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Julius Abure-led faction of the LP held in Abuja on Monday, where reports surfaced claiming Datti, who was present, had announced his 2027 ambition.
The speculation gained further traction after Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, made a post on his verified X handle, implying that Datti had made a declaration.
However, in an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday evening, Datti said he made no such pronouncement.
“Some people speak their fears. It is not true. I never said that,” Datti said. “There’s electronic evidence of the entire procession, I didn’t see that.”
He added that although he had contested the presidency in 2019 (PDP primary election in 2018) alongside 11 other aspirants, he has since refrained from pursuing personal political ambition.
According to him, “During that contest, I felt so honoured by a certain act which very few people, or probably no one, recognise, that there wasn’t a single aspirant north of River Niger and Benue in that. This was a very good message. This was a very clear message. They decided to respect….. It’s not that they didn’t have the resources or the experience or the people to contest in 2019. They decided to wait it out.”
Looking ahead to 2027, Datti noted that he would only consider running if two individuals from the South decide not to contest.
“Unless if certain two people that I have tremendous respect for decide not to take it, and God Almighty in His infinite majesty keeps dropping it for me… except if that happens. I can tell you Peter will be for sure because he’s in the game, he contested before. Yes, I’m with him, I’ll support him. If he doesn’t, or another person that I won’t call his name from the South doesn’t, otherwise, I’m not ambitious. My key ambition: stop the killings, stop the stealing.”
Datti’s comments come amid conversations around building an opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Following the 2023 election, which saw the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, finish third behind Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there has been growing pressure on opposition figures to form a united front before the next cycle.
In July 2025, a coalition movement involving several key politicians was launched in Abuja and housed under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The platform, modelled after the successful opposition merger that unseated the PDP in 2015, appointed former Senate President David Mark as interim chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.
Obi is understood to be part of the opposition coalition although he has yet to resign membership of the Labour Party.