At last, Mr Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has picked Datti Baba-Ahmed, founder of Baze University, as his running mate, now that the 2023 presidential election is coming close.
He did this at an event in Abuja on Friday. Yesterday, Doyin Okupe, former senior special assistant on public affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, submitted his withdrawal as a stand-in (placeholder) vice presidential running mate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to Obi today, Baba-Ahmed is “eminently qualified” to be Nigeria’s vice-president if the party wins the presidential election next year.
“This is our match to secure, unite and make Nigeria productive and you can’t do it without having people who have a similar vision, and idea and are prepared for that onerous task,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also responded that he is “humbled and appreciative” of his selection as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.
According to him, the “fundamental reason” for being on “this ticket is to rescue Nigeria” from the state of collapse.
“I cannot afford not to be part of the movement to rescue Nigeria,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed who was a member of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007, won the senatorial election to represent Kaduna north in 2011, but the election tribunal overturned his victory and he left office in 2012.
In January this year, he withdrew from his governorship bid in Kaduna State on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform because he argued that the election process was wonky.
“Credible first-hand reports have proved that anticipated changes in our politics are yet hold and lessons yet unlearnt as evidenced in the ongoing primaries, needless to give specifics. These are inconsistent with my purpose of being in politics,” he had said.