The Labour Party (LP) on Friday, unveiled Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as running mate to its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ahead of Nigeria's
The Labour Party (LP) on Friday, unveiled Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as running mate to its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ahead of Nigeria’s general elections in February next year.
Baba-Ahmed, the founder of Baze University, Abuja, was announced the vice-presidential candidate in Abuja on Friday.
Below are quick facts you should know about him:
Born in 1975, Baba-Ahmed is a Nigerian economist and politician who served as senator for Kaduna North Senatorial District from 2011 to 2012 and was a member of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007.
He was a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party until recently when he was officially unveiled as the running mate of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He is the younger brother of Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum.
He attended the University of Maiduguri, where he studied economics, up to the Master’s level. He had his NYSC at the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta. He also has an MBA from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Winchester.
He worked in the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting, Lagos, before venturing into politics.
The 46-year-old is is the founder and Pro-Chancellor of Baba-Ahmed University Kano, and Baze University, an independent university located in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. which opened in April 2011.
Baba-Ahmed is also a known philanthropist who engages in corporate social responsibility projects. He is credited with building and donating two junior secondary schools in Zaria that can accommodate about 4,000 students.
In 2015, Baba-Ahmed was appointed as chairman of the board of trustees (BOT) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Hope Alive Foundation – an organisation that campaigns for the post-service economic survival of corps members who suffered permanent disability during service.
In 2018, Baba-Ahmed contested for the presidential ticket of the PDP but lost after he polled five votes, while the winner – Atiku Abubakar – scored 1,532 votes.
He had earlier desired to run for Kaduna gubernatorial race under the PDP in the 2023 general election. He, however, backed down from the race. According to him, the process did not align with his political ideals.
As a lawmaker, he opposed the third-term agenda of President Obasanjo. According to him, that was his most memorable moment in the lower chamber.
