Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, says he is set to leave the party and join the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
While speaking on Channels Television programme, on Tuesday, Baba-Ahmed said his decision followed the internal crises and disagreements within the LP, noting that the party has drifted from its original ideals.
“I am leaving the Labour Party tomorrow. There is more to it. When there was real peace in the Labour Party was when they posted back. They redeployed someone with a specific purpose and because of the antecedent of the individual to make life difficult, particularly for me. What the Labour Party stood for then is no longer what it is today,” he said.
He stated that his exit from the party would become effective at midnight, adding that his new political destination would be the Peoples Redemption Party.
“I am leaving the Labour Party midnight and I am joining PRP. PRP is the new destination. PRP is the one with a history. It’s about 75 years old,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Baba-Ahmed’s defection comes months after he publicly distanced himself from the coalition of opposition politicians seeking to adopt the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a common platform ahead of the 2027 polls.
The coalition, which has attracted several opposition figures, including former vice president Atiku Abukakar, former governors Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf Aregbesola, Nasir El-Rufai, and former Senate President David Mark, was formed to serve as a strong force to confront President Bola Tinubu and his party – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Baba-Ahmed had openly rejected suggestions that he would join the movement.
He had insisted that Nigeria’s political crisis could not be solved by simply repackaging old politicians under a new coalition.
