Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has announced his intention to leave the Labour Party and join the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Baba-Ahmed made the announcement on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s political programme, “Politics Today”, citing internal disagreements and a departure from the party’s founding ideals as reasons for his exit.
The former running mate to Peter Obi, whose 2023 campaign had galvanised widespread youth support and rattled Nigeria’s two dominant parties, said the Labour Party had strayed far from the movement he once believed in.
Baba-Ahmed accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of prioritising the destruction of opposition parties over governance, and also alleged that individuals had been redeployed within the Labour Party with the specific aim of making life difficult for him personally.
The LP has been rocked by internal divisions, with key members openly expressing dissatisfaction with its direction, and its leadership crisis has deepened as factions continue to clash over control and strategy. On the same Tuesday, the party had elected Nenadi Usman as its substantive national chairperson.
Baba-Ahmed confirmed that his exit from the party would take effect at midnight, with the PRP as his next political destination, describing it as a party with a proud history of nearly 75 years. The PRP, founded in 1978 by the late Aminu Kano, is one of Nigeria’s oldest political movements, known for its progressive ideology.
Looking ahead, Baba-Ahmed indicated he would work towards producing a genuine southern, possibly Christian candidate from the PRP ahead of the 2027 elections, though he remained coy on whether he himself harboured presidential ambitions.
