BREAKING: Datti Declares Presidential Ambition, Falls Out with Peter Obi as Labour Party Crisis Deepens

Datti Declares Presidential Ambition, Falls Out with Peter Obi as Labour Party Crisis Deepens

 

 

The Labour Party’s internal crisis has taken a dramatic new turn as Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the party’s former Vice Presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has declared his intention to run for President in 2027 — a move seen as a major fallout between him and his former running mate, Peter Obi.

 

The announcement came during a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the party’s National Secretariat in Utako, Abuja, on Monday.

 

Labour Party National Chairman, Barr. Julius Abure, officially confirmed Datti’s declaration and congratulated him for stepping forward to vie for the presidential ticket under the party’s platform.

 

This development signals a widening rift within the party’s top hierarchy, especially following a parallel NEC meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Friday, July 18. That meeting was attended by Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti and saw the endorsement of Nenadi Usman as a factional chairman, a move fiercely rejected by the Abure-led faction.

 

In a statement jointly signed by Julius Abure and the party’s National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the party declared the Transcorp meeting “illegal,” citing violations of both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act 2022. The statement emphasized that the meeting lacked proper authorization and failed to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the mandatory 21-day notice.

“NEC notes that no matter how illegality is decorated it cannot be legal. Renaming the caretaker committee as Interim National Working Committee does not remove its illegality,” the statement read.

The NEC resolution stressed that there is no leadership vacuum in the party, noting that the Labour Party conducted a valid national convention on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi, Anambra State — a process the Supreme Court affirmed in a ruling delivered on April 4, 2025.

 

The Abure-led NEC used the opportunity to reaffirm its leadership and called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to disregard any outcome from the Transcorp meeting and to recognize the legitimacy of the convention-backed leadership.

 

Significantly, the NEC rejected any plans for a political coalition in the lead-up to the 2027 general election, distancing the party from overtures to align with other blocs.

“Labour Party is distinct in its ideology, programs, and manifestos, which provide answers to the socio-economic challenges in Nigeria. We cannot be tempted by joining any politically spent forces that have squandered the nation’s opportunities,” the resolution stated.

Meanwhile, the NEC expressed strong support for Datti Baba-Ahmed’s presidential ambition, describing him as a figure who “identified with the leadership” and embodies the values of the party moving forward.