Datti Baba-Ahmed dismisses presidential rumour, insists he made no declaration

Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has refuted reports claiming that he has declared his intention to contest the presidency, saying his comments were wrongly interpreted and blown out of proportion.

Baba-Ahmed, who was the running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, made the clarification on Friday while speaking on Channels Television, where he stressed that he has not announced any presidential ambition.

“I never declared to contest the presidency two days ago,” he said, dismissing the speculation that followed his recent public remarks.

He explained that his statement was simply to reaffirm his continued membership of the Labour Party amid growing conversations about the party’s future and internal realignments.

According to him, although political possibilities may arise in the future, no decision has been taken and no declaration has been made.

“What I did was to state clearly that I remain in the Labour Party. I never declared to contest the presidency, even though there could be a possibility of that happening someday. I certainly did not declare,” Baba-Ahmed said.

He noted that any decision to seek elective office would depend on the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Labour Party’s internal processes.

“One will have to wait for the INEC timetable and for the party to open the process for expressions of interest. Until then, there is no declaration,” he added.

Baba-Ahmed also criticised the role of social media in amplifying misinformation, warning that sensational narratives often distort facts and mislead the public.

“It is unfortunate that social media can be so sensational, spreading wrong narratives to emotional listeners. The responsibility of professional media is to act as a filter so