• PDP plans to see Obi, Atiku, says Ogidi
• Obidient Movement says crisis-ridden PDP can’t woo Obi

Vice-Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has shed light on the behind-the-scenes calculations that informed his decision to remain in the party after the exit of Peter Obi.  He hinted that his political future, including a possible presidential bid in 2027, remains firmly on the table.
 
However, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-South Zone, Emma Ogidi, said the party was planning to meet with Peter Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who were former members of the party.
 
Speaking at a rally of party members and grassroots supporters at the LP national headquarters in Abuja yesterday, Baba-Ahmed said his loyalty to the LP was driven by principle, structure and belief in the party’s long-term mission, not by individual political movements.
 
“When Peter Obi left, there were pressures, expectations and assumptions that everyone would move,” Baba-Ahmed said. “But politics is not about following individuals blindly. It is about platforms, values and responsibility to the people who believe in you.”
 
Datti disclosed that on the night Obi exited the party, he contacted the LP leadership to state clearly that he was not defecting, stressing that LP remained the platform on which millions of Nigerians invested hope during the 2023 elections.
 
“This was the platform that received over 10 million votes from Nigerians—later reduced to six million. That mandate belonged to the people, not to any one person,” he said, explaining that his decision to stay was also shaped by internal consultations and concerns about preserving the party’s structure and grassroots momentum.
 
He warned that abrupt exits could weaken the political voice of ordinary Nigerians who rallied around the LP in 2023. OGIDI, in an interview on ‘The Morning Brief’, a programme on Channels Television, yesterday, said: “What we are doing now is to remind Nigerians of all that we did. There’s nothing the APC is doing today. APC is just an aberration.”
 
At the National Working Committee (NWC) inauguration in Ibadan, Oyo State, the Chairman stated that he would use the opportunity to meet with leaders, foundation members, and other stakeholders, including religious leaders and traditional rulers.
  
“So we are going around. He has already seen former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and the rest. It’s all about seeing those who are important and telling Nigerians that we are alive and are moving.
  
“We also have plans to see Obi and Atiku. PDP is the real face of democracy in Nigeria; the only party that has not changed its logo and vision for Nigeria.
 
But the Obidient Movement worldwide said PDP, neck-deep in internal political wrangling, cannot woo Obi ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The National Coordinator, Tanko Yunusa, said this while reacting to reports of planned consultations by the PDP leadership.  Yunusa queried both the logic and credibility of the outreach at a time the party is grappling with internal disputes.