News
Only Obi can stop me from contesting presidency in 2027 – Datti-Ahmed
Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023,, on Wednesday, reiterated his vow to stay away from contesting the 2027 presidential election, except on one condition – Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the party in the same election is not running.
A guest of Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS television network, on Tuesday, Datti-Ahmed, who represented Kaduna North at the Senate in 2011, had displayed his respect for the political power sharing norm between Nigerian North and South, saying Southern politicians having respected the arrangement in 2019, he was bound, as a Northerner to follow suit.
But the foremost educationist and economist, left a caveat – only when Obi, and one other politician from the South he declined to mention – would not be on the ballot, else he would throw his hat in the ring as he did in 2029.
“Look at my trajectory, and I’ve said this repeatedly, that in 2019 I aspired for the presidency and I lost, together with 11 others. I religiously supported Peter Obi and I would do so again in 2027, unless certain two people that I have tremendous respect for decide not to take it, and God Almighty in His infinite mercies keeps dropping it for me.
“Except if that happens, I can tell you Peter will contest for sure because he’s in the game, he contested before, I’ll support him. If he doesn’t, or another person that I won’t call his name from the South, if they don’t contest, otherwise I’m not ambitious. My key ambition is to stop the killings, stop the stealing, stop the slide,” he told his host on Tuesday.
Singing the same tune on Wednesday, this time on The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, Datti-Ahmed said: “There are two key individuals that I have tremendous respect for; one is Peter Obi. I welcome him openly. The Labour Party welcomes him to still come and retain the Labour Party ticket and contest in 2027 with or without me. And the ADC is welcome to adopt a southern candidate.”
Datti-Ahmed’s clarification came on the heels of reports that the LP had offered him the party’s presidential ticket for the upcoming election, following his participation in the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Julius Abure faction on Monday.
Also speaking to this particular outing, which also raised much dust within the political circle, including speculations that he had dumped Obi and decided to team up with the Abure camp, he explained that such reading of his action was misplaced, as the party’s flagbearer was aware of his move, which was to reconcile the two camps.
Hear him: “Labour Party is not a party to walk away from, not a party to be abandoned or to be ignored. I assure you that every little step I take, concerned parties are aware. I don’t need to get too much into our internal operation, but give you a categorical answer — everyone that has to do with everything that I do is aware.
“I call for parties to get together and talk; that’s the way forward. When the parties meet, journalists will get the headlines of what was discussed. I’m a positive catalyst in this case. I’m bringing people together to unite, understand themselves, and make good efforts again to rescue Nigeria.
“Whoever is on a mission to change the meaning of my unambitious, clean actions are welcome to do (so). All they are doing is speaking out about their fears.
“His Excellency Peter Obi is aware. He probably has been too busy to update those around him. I speak with the boss, not with those who move around with him. Peter Obi is aware, please.”
Reiterating his desire to see Obi on the ballot in 2027, Datti-Ahmed, who also gave his assessment on coalition arrangement, Nigerian politicians including the former Governor of Anambra State, had since endorsed, stressed that he would be okay even if he was no longer favoured as his running mate, insisting that he would not be detained by his own ambition of pairing up with him again, as all he cared for now, was the survival and a secure and economically thriving Nigeria.
His words: “We want capacity. We want compassion. We want people who will develop Nigeria, leaders that matter, leaders that deliver promises, not those who will promise governance and deliver disaster.
“This is not an anti-party activity. It is an unfolding situation. The meaning of a coalition is that political parties, interest groups, and individuals are coming together. It’s an unfolding situation. I attended coalition meetings. Peter Obi is welcome to continue to attend those coalition meetings.”
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
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