TheCable

Julius Abure, national chair of the Labour Party (LP), says Nigeria would have been divided if Datti Baba-Ahmed was the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.

Abure said this on Sunday while responding to a question from Rudolf Okonkwo on 90MinutesAfrica.

Baba-Ahmed was the running mate of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the LP in the last election.

“We had a supporter of the Labour Party on the show one time who said if there were a switch and Datti was the candidate while Peter was the vice-presidential candidate — that the outcome would have been different,” Okonkwo said.

“And one of the things he pointed out was the reaction after the election that because of the nature of Peter Obi, the path he chose would have been different from the path that Datti would have taken,” he added. 

Responding, Abure said: “Obviously, if Datti was the presidential candidate, he wouldn’t have been able to create the movement, the following that gave rise to the results that we have in the first instance. So the analysis isn’t correct”.

“The analysis doesn’t follow because a lot of people joined the Labour Party because of the personality of Peter Obi. Apparently, because of his character, performance, and behaviour, people saw him as a leader and, therefore, wanted him to be (president). Datti is not on that same pedestal,” Abure added. 

“Datti doesn’t have that kind of followership that has the capacity to change the political trajectory that we had before.

“And, therefore, he wouldn’t have been able to create that situation that would have given rise to what could have happened with the election.

“But after the election and the outcome of the election, if it was Datti, probably the country would have been divided, and in the end, a lot of people would have died by now.”

Abure didn’t explain why people would have died if Baba-Ahmed had been the standard-bearer of the LP.

However, following the presidential election, Baba-Ahmed fiercely criticised the judiciary over judgments on the election.

At the time, he asked Olukayode Ariwoola, the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), not to swear in Bola Tinubu as the president.

He said swearing in Tinubu as president would hinder the nation’s democracy and violate the 1999 constitution.

After the supreme court affirmed Tinubu’s election, Baba-Ahmed claimed that no justice of the supreme court would give Nigerians democracy.

“Rise up for your rights. No justice of supreme court will give you democracy,” he said.

“The petition court and the supreme court, please quote me on this, did not actually affirm the success of Tinubu’s presidency.

“They upheld the unconstitutionality of that election and they are happy for it to remain so and they have the power. Nobody can do anything about it.”

‘WE NEED A PEACEFUL COUNTRY’

Abure said there must be peace in the nation before Nigerians can demand a better country.

“Every folk have their perception and views. But I think that having a peaceful country and we are still available in the country, still being alive to be able to agitate for reform, put the government on the spot, and continue to agitate for a better country, I think, is better,” he said.

“We are already here. We are here talking about the 2027 election.

“If the country were at war or in a crisis, we wouldn’t be here talking about the 2027 election. So, however we look at it, I think we have done very well. Datti and Peter Obi were a very good combination.”