The Labour Party has dissociated itself from a recent comment by its 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as “questionably constitutional.”
The party said it considered the statement undemocratic and inciting, and warned against whipping up sentiments that could destabilise the country.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Arabambi Abayomi, and made available to journalists in Kaduna by the National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the party recalled that it had challenged the outcome of the 2023 presidential election up to the Supreme Court and had since accepted the judgement in the interest of peace.
“For the interest and peace of the nation, the Labour Party accepted the judgement of the Supreme Court, not because we were pleased, but because of the finality of the Supreme Court’s judgement. The party has since moved on,” the statement said.
The party, however, expressed shock that Senator Baba-Ahmed, during what it described as an “illegal” meeting convened by Abia state governor Alex Otti and former presidential candidate Peter Obi in Abuja, insisted on questioning the legitimacy of the Tinubu administration despite the ruling of the apex court.
It also faulted another statement attributed to Baba-Ahmed in a recent television interview where he claimed that federal appointments and activities under the Tinubu administration were “fake and illegal.”
“For us in the Labour Party, this statement is clearly inciting and a call for mass action against a constituted authority. We think there should be a limit to whipping up public sentiments against a legitimate government,” it added.
The party warned against a repeat of the type of uprisings that swept through the Middle East during the Arab Spring, and said political leaders must avoid stoking instability.
It also described as a direct threat to its leadership, a comment reportedly made by Governor Otti at the same Abuja meeting, in which he was quoted as saying that “doomsday” awaited the party’s National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure.
The party said the comment came just days after a similar threat by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, who reportedly threatened to “flush” the party leadership out of office.
“We believe these threats are not coincidental. It is a known fact that NLC’s rascality is equally being funded by the Abia State Government,” the party said.
It called on the National Security Adviser and other security agencies to intervene, claiming that the lives of its leaders were under threat.
The party however, maintained that it stood for the rule of law and party supremacy as recently affirmed by the Supreme Court, and warned that Governor Otti should be held responsible if any harm befall any member of the party’s leadership.