The vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has moved to reconcile party leaders towards ensuring that Peter Obi remains the party’s presidential standard-bearer.
Datti on Monday described the Labour Party (LP) as a historic movement that must not be fractured.
He made the disclosure at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Julius Abure-led faction in Abuja.
“Labour Party is not a party to walk away from,” he declared.
“The successes, the history that Labour Party of Nigeria has recorded is unique and unprecedented.”
Datti, who ran alongside Obi in the 2023 election, reminded party leaders of the strength they demonstrated at the polls.
“We presented clear records and evidence of 10 million votes scored in the last election, thereafter reduced to 6.1 million votes,” he said, lamenting what he described as “the act of state capture” which he blamed for internal divisions in LP and other parties.
Datti pledged to lead reconciliation talks between Obi and aggrieved stakeholders.
“I am here as a peacemaker to reconcile divergent opinions,” he stated.
The development comes amid moves by the opposition to unite under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to secure election victory in 2027. Datti acknowledged attending one of the coalition meetings but clarified that his loyalty remains with the LP.
“I’m very proud to say that I did attend meetings of a certain attempt for a coalition in Nigeria,” he said.
“Morally speaking, if your neighbourhood invites you to discuss security, you must attend. However, if you attend and they discuss other matters besides that, you are at liberty to restore yourself to your former position. I have attended and I have listened to the coalition attempts, yet I remain in the Labour Party. I am not one to sleepwalk into any political arrangements.”
Datti warned LP members not to be lured by alliances that could derail the party’s ideals.
“I must say, in the past, a coalition was made and a Nigerian government was voted out,” he noted.
“I note with pleasure that this is what we as the Labour Party did in 2023 and what we are about to do again in 2027. However, the government that follows is even more important than the act of removing the government itself. A government was removed and what followed was disaster.”
On the issue of the leadership crisis in the party, Datti acknowledged both the Nenadi Usman-led group and the Abure-led faction but noted that “INEC currently recognises the Abure leadership.”