Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, to boycott the inauguration ceremony of President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on May 29, 2023. Datti-Ahmed Calls on Buhari To Suspend Tinubu’s Inauguration
Baba-Ahmed made the call in an interview on Channels Television, saying that swearing in a ticket that had not yet met constitutional requirements would be tantamount to violating democracy. He also said that Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should not have issued a certificate of return to Tinubu because the process that produced him as the President-elect was flawed. Baba-Ahmed had previously stated that if Tinubu were to be sworn in, it would be like inviting the military to take over Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed’s pronouncement met with criticisms, including from Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, who described it as unacceptable because it alienates the people and is a ‘fascistic language’. Soyinka said that he had warned Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the LP, about the excesses of his supporters, otherwise known as ‘Obidients’.
Datti-Ahmed Calls on Buhari To Suspend Tinubu’s Inauguration
He also stated that his rejection of fascism was not new and that on three occasions, he had sent a message to Obi that if he lost the election, it would be his followers who lost it for him. Soyinka also criticized the media for taking remarks out of context and distorting them, leading to the public receiving a distorted message.
Baba-Ahmed’s call for a boycott of Tinubu’s inauguration is based on the belief that Tinubu’s ticket has not met the constitutional requirements of the constitution and that whoever does not meet these requirements must not be sworn in. He called on President Buhari and the Chief Justice of Nigeria to refrain from partaking in any unconstitutionality.
Baba-Ahmed had previously made similar remarks on National television on 22nd March 2023, when he called on Buhari and the Chief Justice not to swear in Tinubu. He insisted that declaring Tinubu a winner and issuing him a certificate of return was against the constitution.
Professor Soyinka criticized Baba-Ahmed’s comments, saying that they were “trying to dictate to the supreme arbiter of the nation” and that this was unacceptable. He also said that Baba-Ahmed’s comments were intimidating and that they alienated people and supporters. Soyinka stated that his rejection of fascism was grounded in indisputable evidence and that he had sent a message to Obi on three occasions warning him that if he lost the election, it would be his followers who lost it for him.
Datti-Ahmed Calls on Buhari To Suspend Tinubu’s Inauguration
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Soyinka expressed concern about the alleged complaint by Baba-Ahmed that people were not following “instructions.” He said that if words were garbled in recording, the speaker could be reached for clarification, and otherwise, the unclear section should be left out to avoid misrepresentation. He also criticized the media for taking remarks out of context and distorting them, leading to a distorted message being received by the public.
