Former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said Peter Obi would be warmly received back into the party if he fails to secure the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Baba-Ahmed said it would be better for Obi to return to the Labour Party, the platform on which both men contested the 2023 presidential election.
“I also said if Peter Obi does not get the ticket there in ADC, he is more than welcome back to the Labour Party,” he said.
“I will stand there and nobody will do anything bad to Peter Obi. It is better for him to come back than for him to pursue another type of agenda.”
His comments followed Obi’s recent decision to join an ADC-led coalition, nearly three years after both men ran together under the LP banner. Despite the development, Baba-Ahmed said he remains proud of what they achieved together during the 2023 election.
Meanwhile, the LP chieftain dismissed reports suggesting he had defected from the party, describing them as false and misleading. He clarified that he had merely reaffirmed his membership of the Labour Party.
“I never declared to contest the presidency, even though there could be a possibility of that happening. I certainly did not declare for the presidency,” he said.
“I simply reiterated my membership of the Labour Party.”
Baba-Ahmed added that any decision on future candidacies would depend on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable and the party’s internal processes. He blamed misinformation on social media, accusing some actors of pushing sensational narratives to mislead the public.
