The 2023 Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has announced his decision to leave the Labour Party and join the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), citing unresolved internal disagreements and a departure from the party’s founding ideals.
He made the declaration on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s programme Politics Today, stating that his exit would take effect at midnight on Wednesday.
According to him, the Labour Party has changed significantly from what it represented during the 2023 general elections.
“I am leaving the Labour Party tomorrow. What the Labour Party stood for then is no longer what it is today,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He added that his new political home would be the PRP, describing it as a party with a long-standing ideological history.
“I am leaving the Labour Party at midnight, and I am joining PRP. PRP is the new destination. It’s about 75 years old,” he stated.
The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), founded in 1978 by the late Aminu Kano, is one of Nigeria’s oldest political movements, known for its progressive and populist orientation.
Baba-Ahmed, who ran alongside Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in the 2023 elections, also used the interview to criticise the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He warned against what he described as attempts to weaken opposition parties, arguing that Nigeria was drifting dangerously close to a one-party system.
He also raised concerns about insecurity and governance, questioning the government’s handling of security challenges and citing repeated attacks on military personnel as evidence of worsening conditions.
Baba-Ahmed further argued that Nigeria’s resources should translate into better protection for citizens, insisting that governance outcomes have fallen short of expectations.
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, he said any credible presidential contender must be free from allegations of corruption or electoral malpractice, while urging capable Nigerians who have stayed away from politics to get involved.
He also dismissed the idea of a single opposition candidate, calling it “impossible,” but suggested that an alliance involving political figures such as Rabiu Kwankwaso and Peter Obi could be viable.
He further proposed that the PRP, if properly reorganised, could emerge as a strong opposition force capable of challenging the APC’s dominance.
