BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The battle for the exalted seat of Nigeria’s President is becoming clearer seven clear months ahead of the general elections scheduled for February 12, 2023. In the last one month, the various political parties interested in vying for the office of the president have all put forward their standard bearers and their running mates. The voting populace has been systematically vetting those that have been presented to them.
Since 1999 when Nigeria returned to the path of democratic governance, there has been a ruling party and a major opposition. The rest have always paled into insignificance and could only operate as fringe parties. Since then, the People’s Democratic Party has had 16 years in power while the All Progressives Congress is about to complete the second term of four years each. No other party seems to come near the two in all this time. It was even suggested at a point that two parties be legislated into existence in the mould of the popular two parties of General Ibrahim Babangida’s transition programme of “a little to the right and a little to the left” of the 1990s.
After the conclusion of the presidential primaries, only the PDP’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, among the major political parties, beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for parties to submit the name of their running mates. The other major parties submitted what they tagged as “placeholder” as running mates.
While the PDP’s presidential candidate nominated and submitted the sitting governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate, the duo of APC which is the ruling party and Labour Party settled for Kabiru Masari and Doyin Okupe respectively as placeholders. With that, they embarked on a search for the men who would be the bona fide running mates.
On Thursday, the LP’s candidate, Obi with the combined efforts of the party leadership nominated Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed and presented him to Nigerians on Friday.
However, the INEC portal for submission of the names of running mates closes 6:00 pm of Friday 15 July (this week), the LP has joined the PDP in finalizing the issue of party flag bearer and running mate while all eyes are on the APC.
The unveiling of Baba-Ahmed by the LP has attracted several comments and reactions from across the country, dubbing the party as the Third Force Nigerians have been clamouring for.
The Executive Director of Adopt a Goal Initiative, Ariyo Dare Atoye described it as an exciting ticket of dynamic achievers and intellectuals.
“So, it is the best thing that has happened to our political development only if Nigerians will wake up from their slumber and take a drastic decision and what is that decision, to take back our country through the polls. Obi and Baba-Ahmed are what Nigeria needs now”
“The Labour Party has unveiled an exciting ticket of dynamic achievers and intellectuals, who have what it takes to cause a paradigm shift, provide an alternative to the failed establishment cadre and turn around the fortune of this country.
“Let the people saying that the Labour Party is a party of the future know that, that future is now and has begun, and more Nigerians are embracing this new thinking towards salvaging a dying nation.
“The establishment class to which Atiku and Tinubu belong to, have failed, and Buhari has further compounded their chances, so five or six months of a serious campaign by the Labour Party could create an upset, but it would be tough.
“However, if the LP is unable to win, it would not be long into a new administration before the people start to clamour for “give us Peter Obi” and that ticket will be in good stead to win in 2027.”
Social and political commentator, Bethel Dominic in his reaction described the duo as the desire of the nation whose records speak loud enough to convince even any doubting Thomas.
“There is always a time for the desire of the people to be granted and I want to make bold to say here that the choice of Peter Obi and Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of the Labour Party has translated to the granting of the desire of Nigerians.
“I’m not saying they have won the election. Of course, I can’t say much when we still have almost eight months to the election but what I am saying is that the Labour Party has truly given Nigerians the opportunity to make a choice. More so, when the two dominant parties APC and PDP have proven to be the same old stuff in different nomenclature.
“If we are condemning this administration of President Buhari and go-ahead to vote for Atiku or Tinubu because they are the only candidates then we should go for mental examinations.
These two men who should be elder statesmen contributed at least 80 per cent to giving Nigerians this government, so what is the difference and what is the new thing they will be bringing to the table? Definitely, nothing. It will be the same old song.
“So, it is the best thing that has happened to our political development only if Nigerians will wake up from their slumber and take a drastic decision and what is that decision, to take back our country through the polls. Obi and Baba-Ahmed are what Nigeria needs now.”
Recall that the leader and Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso and the LP Presidential Candidate Obi could not reach an agreement on who should be the standard-bearer and who should be the running mate while the two parties discussed the possibility of a merger. This truncated the move and galvanized the LP candidate to double his effort to search for, in his words, a “very credible and lover of Nigeria, ready to make the sacrifice” to run for the presidential race with.
An Abuja-based Kogi State-born federal civil servant, who pleaded anonymity, told The Point that he has gone through the resumé of Obi and his running mate and he is convinced they have come to be used to wipe tears off the eyes of Nigerians.
According to him, “I was not too concerned about who should be or who should not be the President but this time around, as a federal civil servant who cannot feed himself and family, I am at the forefront to decide who should be our next President. I’m happy that we have options this time around but my fears are the conduct of the election and the involvement of the security operatives.
“The INEC must not mess the election up. They must not use the military to rig it because the youth will not accept it. If our votes count, Nigerians will celebrate next year because enough is enough.”
However, a group called Moving Nigeria to the Next Level said it is premature to start celebrating Peter Obi and his running mate.
The leader of the group, Abdallah Abu said Nigeria’s election is not won with advertisement noise.
“Nigeria President does not emerge from the party that has the best advert on newspapers, TV, Radio and even social media. There is a lot more to winning the election than all this social media noise. I have no reason to believe that because of social media’s so-called support, the presidential election is won and lost. Let’s wait till February next year.”
He argued that in as much as he has no right to decide for the party on who to give their ticket, it will be foolhardy to begin to celebrate that the ticket of Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed has translated to victory for the party.
The group leader reiterated that the country as it now needs someone who is widely accepted nationwide and who has the capacity and capability to turn things around for good. He stated that the level of decay in the country has gone beyond rhetoric and as such only men who have track records of having done it before can solve the problems.
“To be honest with you, we have the responsibility of ensuring that the country is truly taken to the genuine next level not using a mantra that could not be actualised. I can tell you that Obi and Baba-Ahmed are future leaders, not now. They can claim that they have all it takes to fix the country but I can assure you that those claims are not genuine.
“This was exactly the same way some people pulled the trigger at us Nigerians in 2014 and we were deceived into voting for their candidate. Today what are we seeing? Everything has gone bad. Families can’t feed once; talk more of three times a day. Listen, good or bad, Nigeria must be taken to the next level of good economy and good governance. But don’t be misled; shortly we will begin to drum up support for the man who can do it.”
Meanwhile, the Labour Party vice presidential candidate, Baba-Ahmed, has explained why he accepted his nomination as the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi who formally unveiled him in Abuja as his running mate.
“Nigeria President does not emerge from the party that has the best advert on newspapers, TV, Radio and even social media. There is a lot more to winning the election than all this social media noise. I have no reason to believe that because of social media’s so-called support, the presidential election is won and lost. Let’s wait till February next year”
The 53-year-old Baba-Ahmed, the founder of Baze University, Abuja, represented Zaria in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007. He later contested for the Kaduna North senatorial district election and was declared the winner for which he represented the zone between 2011 and 2012. However, the court of law annulled his election and he had to step aside from the National Assembly.
Speaking on a national television programme not too long after he was unveiled by his party, Baba-Ahmed said his decision to accept the nomination was borne out of his commitment to rescuing Nigeria from its present unacceptable state.
According to him, accepting his nomination was due to his belief in Obi’s capacity to make Nigeria live to its billing and also that he would not mismanage the nation’s wealth as was seen in his previous administrative engagements.
“The undeniable and unchallengeable fundamental reason for being on this ticket is to rescue Nigeria. And it goes logically without saying that you can only rescue those who are in trouble and Nigeria is in trouble and I cannot afford not to be part of the movement to rescue Nigeria.
“The second reason is that I believe in the greatness of Nigeria. I believe there will be peace and prosperity, and I believe Nigeria people will unite,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed added that Obi’s integrity and achievements in the private sector were also part of his reasons to join the LP ticket.
According to him, “Having come from the education sector and background, when I hear a valuable thing, I know it and I cannot let it pass. The comment from our presidential candidate that the fertile land in the north is the crude oil of Nigeria is one.
“How much more nationalist and detribalised can you (Obi) be? I see a brighter future for Nigeria from such a comment. He is someone of integrity and capacity”.
Speaking earlier, Obi, who apologised for the postponement of the event from Thursday to Friday, said the unveiling signaled the party’s readiness and his resolve to embark on the journey to take back Nigeria.
Obi said, “It is good to be here today after weeks and months that we have gone round, consulted and searched around to look for somebody who fits the bill of what we are trying to do.
“Today, I am proud to say I have been able to meet and secure somebody who is eminently qualified and fits the bill to be the Vice President of Nigeria. I know people will say you are not there yet, but I can tell you, I know where we are going.”
The former Anambra governor said that “it is our right to secure, unite and make Nigeria productive. And you can’t do that without having people who have similar visions, ideas and are prepared for the task. So, I have the honour today to present to you, God willing, Nigeria’s next Vice President in the person of Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.
That the Obi/Baba-Ahmed ticket presents a possible Third Force and so offers a possible choice away from the two dominant parties has however been contested as well.
Whether indeed Nigerians see the Labour Party as the Third Force capable of turning their fortunes around or not, time will tell.
