Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has vowed to help reunite the party in the wake of deepening internal divisions and Peter Obi’s apparent withdrawal from party affairs.
Speaking on Monday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Baba-Ahmed met with the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee, pledging to use his influence to “bring everyone back together” amid growing signs of factionalism and public disillusionment.
“This is not a party that you walk away from,” Baba-Ahmed said, addressing the media after the closed-door meeting. “It is a party that is worth fighting for.”
His intervention comes as the Labour Party reels from the quiet but noticeable distancing of Peter Obi, its 2023 presidential candidate, who has stopped appearing at party functions and has remained silent amid an ongoing leadership crisis. Though Obi has not formally announced his departure, his absence has raised concerns about the party’s future cohesion and relevance.
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Baba-Ahmed, who ran alongside Obi on the “Obidient” ticket last year, acknowledged that the party had “drifted apart” but insisted that it must not be allowed to disintegrate. “We will go around and do what we can to bring everyone together,” he said.
“I am not interested in any position, title or reward. I am here because the Labour Party matters—not just to me, but to the millions who believed in what we stood for.”
His remarks also appeared to push back against recent moves by a rival faction of the party, led by Lamidi Apapa and supported by new figures such as Nenadi Usman, which has called for a new leadership direction. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), however, still recognises the Abure-led executive as the party’s legitimate leadership.
The Labour Party soared into national prominence during the 2023 elections but has since faced internal wrangling and public uncertainty over its direction. Baba-Ahmed’s emergence as a unifying voice may offer a glimmer of hope to party faithful worried about a post-Obi vacuum.
“We’ve seen what happens when parties abandon their values after winning power,” Baba-Ahmed warned. “We must not repeat that mistake. Unity is not just about structure—it’s about purpose.”
