LP in transition, not crisis, Baba-Ahmed clarifies leadership reshuffle

The Labour Party’s Vice Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election, Datti Baba-Ahmed, says the party is undergoing a transition to reposition its structure and is not enmeshed in crisis, as reported by the media.

The former Federal lawmaker disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday after the inaugural meeting of the LP Caretaker Committee.

Baba-Ahmed, who represented the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, also explained that the contentious caretaker committee, which has brought them into conflict with the party leadership, was inaugurated because the tenure of the Julius Abure-led committee had elapsed.

He also absolved Obi and the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of any blame, stressing that the decision to appoint a caretaker committee was constitutional and taken to ensure the party’s continued relevance.

The LP chieftain, therefore, appealed to Abure and members of his National Working Committee to sheath their swords and work in unity with the newly installed committee to rebuild the party.

“No governor unseated Abure; the constitution did. Abure’s time has elapsed. Nobody was unseated. As of today, Abure remains our good friend and a loyal member. We want him back in the fold because we have roles for him to play, along with all members of the former NEC and NWC. They are welcome to join us and continue building the Labour Party.

“We didn’t have a crisis. We managed a transition, which was a bit bumpy, and that was it. I tell you, no other political party of our size could have done that in the time and manner we did. We are a political party that went all the way to the Supreme Court, claiming our 10 million votes. They only gave us six million votes. So we are a force to be reckoned with in Africa. What we’ve done has never been done before. When the PDP came, they had the military. We had nothing,” he stated.

Earlier, the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ikechukwu Emetu, who represented the Governor, Alex Otti, urged the committee members to work for the growth of the Labour Party and shun acts that could be detrimental to the party’s interests.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the National Caretaker Committee, Senator Nenadi Usman, has assured members of the Labour Party of their determination to rescue the party from its current challenges and restore it as a viable alternative platform for Nigerians.

The former minister also promised that her team would lead the party towards reconciliation within the short time of their designated assignment.

She said, “We are on a rescue mission, not just for the Labour Party, but for our dear nation, Nigeria. The interest this committee has generated extends beyond party lines. I have received numerous telephone calls, not just from party members, but also from people in other political parties who have told me that if we get this right, we will work together. So we have a huge task ahead.

“Our party, by the grace of Almighty God, will become a platform for all disenfranchised and unhappy Nigerians. For people who are dissatisfied with the way things are going, we will be the platform for them, by the grace of God. Therefore, we must take this significant national assignment seriously.”