Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, has dismissed reports suggesting that Peter Obi has left the party.

Speaking to journalists after the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja attended by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Baba-Ahmed said Obi remains a committed member.

“To the best of our knowledge, our brother, His Excellency Peter Obi, is still a member of the Labour Party. Nothing has changed. If he were here now, I would have shifted my seat to the left for him,” he said.

He acknowledged the party had experienced internal turbulence but insisted it had emerged stronger.

“The Labour Party has not reduced in any way. We have only increased in numbers. But with the submission of our leader, the National Secretary, we have gone through rough times, as is usual with political associations, and have emerged from it,” he stated.

Baba-Ahmed also described INEC’s presence at the NEC meeting as a significant milestone, saying it validated the gathering and underscored the party’s commitment to due process.

“This is a renewed drive for reconciliation. I am here as a loyal party member to continue to open our arms to embrace new and existing members, to come back and reconcile with the party for the national assignment ahead of us,” he added.

His remarks come amid a wave of political realignments, including former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recent departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ADC.