Datti Baba-Ahmed quits Labour Party for PRP, eyes 2027

KEY POINTS

• Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has resigned from the Labour Party and announced he will join the Peoples Redemption Party.
• Baba-Ahmed cited internal disagreements, drift from founding ideals and alleged government interference as reasons.
• He said he would push for “a genuine southern, possibly Christian candidate” from PRP for the 2027 elections.

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 Labour Party vice-presidential candidate who ran with Peter Obi, has resigned from the party and announced he will join the Peoples Redemption Party.

Baba-Ahmed broke the news Tuesday on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” program. He said his departure from the Labour Party would take effect at midnight.

Why he is leaving

Specifically, Baba-Ahmed cited internal disagreements, what he called a drift from the party’s founding ideals and alleged government interference in opposition politics as reasons for his exit. He singled out one redeployed individual whose presence he said had made his political life difficult.

“They redeployed someone to come with a specific purpose, and because of the antecedents of the individual, to make life difficult, particularly for me. But what Labour Party stood for then is no longer what it is today,” Baba-Ahmed said.

Furthermore, he accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of prioritizing the destruction of opposition parties over governance. He framed the strategy as a deliberate substitute for action on insecurity and economic recovery.

“We have had a government who has made its primary purpose the destruction of other political parties. Instead of fighting insecurity and fixing our economy and stopping the stealing, what is more important is to destroy political parties,” he said.

A new home with a long history

Notably, Baba-Ahmed declared the PRP his next political destination. He pointed to the party’s roughly 75-year history as a key draw, framing the move as a step into a more grounded political tradition.

“I’m leaving Labour Party midnight tonight, and I’m joining PRP. PRP is the new destination. PRP is the one with the history. It’s about 75 years old,” he said.

Additionally, Baba-Ahmed said he would work to produce “a genuine southern, possibly Christian candidate” from the PRP ahead of the 2027 elections. The framing signals an intent to recalibrate the opposition lineup along regional and faith lines.

On his own ambitions

Meanwhile, Baba-Ahmed stayed coy on his own presidential ambition. He neither confirmed nor ruled it out, instead pointing to a track record he said already speaks for itself.

“At 33, House of Reps; at 41, Senate; university licence, another university licence, biggest private hospital in Africa, and the list goes on. Why do I have to be president or vice president?” Baba-Ahmed said.

Baba-Ahmed’s departure further fragments the post-2023 Labour Party, which has been hemorrhaging members amid internal feuds. His shift to PRP also lands at a moment when opposition coalitions are scrambling to consolidate behind a single 2027 ticket.

With the APC primaries calendar already set and the field for 2027 narrowing, Baba-Ahmed’s move plants a flag in a smaller party with deeper historical roots. Whether PRP can carry that history into a competitive presidential run, or whether his exit simply reshuffles the opposition deck, is the next question.