• INEC betrayed Nigerians in 2023; Tinubu can be defeated in 2027
The vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has launched a scathing assessment of Nigeria’s democracy, declaring that electoral fraud is the root of the nation’s crises and not just insecurity. In an interview with Adedayo Adejobi, the LP chieftain, also reaffirms his loyalty to Peter Obi. Excerpts:
Have you gone to realign your registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)? . If yes, what do you feel about that process?
Normal. Nothing special about it.
You’ve been very critical of INEC. What’s your assessment of the commission in the recent by-elections it conducted?
Let’s get something straight by marking out certain boundaries. A statement of fact is not in effect a criticism. The Nigerian media reports insecurity better than what opposition members or politicians do.
But when the mainline media reported, it’s normal. When an opposition politician says there is insecurity or those who promised security have failed in providing that security, then it becomes criticism. In reality, it’s a statement of fact. Over and beyond that, some people go to categorise statements of fact as personal attacks. Some people go to the extreme level of saying that they are insults.
Some people who do politics are in the business of politics to make their societies better. In doing so, you cannot afford to close your eyes. Others make a living by actually undoing what people like me are doing.
And for what is left in the rest of this administration, you said there is security and that the economy has improved. Let’s see it. I I don’t have energy to spend on criticising INEC. They conducted a fraudulent election which is inconsistent with the Nigerian constitution. And I stated it. They have finished us. They have declared a government that is in place and providing the kind of governance they can provide.
Now, having cleared this, let their conscience, Nigerians and posterity judge them.
In a few months, Professor Mahmud Yakubu’s tenure will gradually wind down. What are your own views on who should be the next head of INEC as 2027 elections approach?
A credible person. Not somebody who would clearly read what the constitution provides, and go ahead to clearly breach the constitution. Throughout human history, individuals make or break nations. The said man is going to be responsible for what is happening in Nigeria. And the arm of the government which upheld the pronouncement, is wrong.
But you were proven wrong by an institution of state – the courts.
We were not wrong. The courts have the power to say you are wrong even if you’re not wrong. And we were not wrong. That election was rigged, and till date the election results are not consistent with the Nigerian constitution.
I would rather we talk about the Fourth Republic and the average Nigerian citizen for once, because the Nigerian politician, the Nigerian elite and the leadership recruitment is flawed.
Because our elections are at the heart, when you don’t have the right leader, you are set for a disaster. And that is why it is important for us to get it right in the choice of those who conduct our elections, as it determines everything
I couldn’t agree more with you that our leadership recruitment is all and everything about Nigeria now. Beyond insecurity, electoral fraud is right now the single most important fact to be addressed. The way we have it now, insecurity is derived from election fraud. Nigerian elections gave birth to the kind of insecurity we have today. Corruption is aggravated by the kind of electoral fraud that we have. The destruction of our youth, our systems, including the judiciary. These are all guaranteed by the types of elections we hold. So yes, our leadership recruitment is the bane of our problems today. All Nigeria needs to prosper is good leadership.
We underestimate how industrious Nigerians are. A Nigerian from a badly disadvantaged state raises a little capital and you find him in China or Vietnam creating businesses out of necessity. Come back to Lagos or Abuja and those people are thriving. All we need in Nigeria today is good leadership and everything else will fall in place.
Insecurity will be sorted with the right leadership, but to get the right leaders, you must produce them through the right way.
Did 2023 offer the opportunity to get good leadership right? If not, will 2027 offer the possibility of getting it right as a people?
I doubt 2027. 2023 was not exactly there. 2015 was when Nigeria was let down, and we realised that some people are in Nigerian politics for the wrong reasons. It took six months to form the government, corruption started afresh, and insecurity took new dimensions.
Indeed, Nigerians were disappointed in the Buhari government. Was there something that Buhari could have done differently?
Absolutely. I did mention that some people were in the game for the wrong reasons. And I think we’re not far from the truth in that regard. Here was a retired Army General removed from power at 42. No trade to his name. The first thing to do of course after coming out was everything.
The ecosystem around this individual was all about party contribution. It happened in 2007, 2011 and then 2015. This individual came into the game for the wrong reasons. Without party contributions, that ecosystem would starve. So when they got power in 2015, it was like wolves finding it so easy. Corruption then started afresh.
Some of the people from the 2015 ecosystem are in the ADC, now saying that they want to fix Nigeria. What are your thoughts about that?
They are deceiving us.
The ADC you mean?
Yes.
I thought you were one of them?
No, I’m in the Labour Party. I’m a Peter Obi man. I still want him to come back to Labour Party and contest 2027.
Whatever political party you belong to, Nigeria is Nigeria and we need to care for the well-being of our dear nation. Are we on the right track? Are we likely to get things right?
One of my professors, the Director at Harvard Business School, wrote on a goodbye note to me, and I quote: “But I want you to be more patient and tolerant about the way you’ll be misunderstood because of the way you present and what you work on in your mind is usually not the typical.”
I have kept that at the back of my mind, and apparently he’s not just the only one who said it.
Development does not exist in nature. You have to make it. If you spend a billion dollars on security and you get $50 million dollars worth of security, you would definitely have insurgency in the North-east, banditry in the North-west. About 95% of the funds are in the pockets of political groups and individual interests.
Everybody knows the story of David on Goliath. David procured the winning formula, the stone. Have we procured our development? Have we procured our future? No. Are we efficient in doing that? No. Corruption happens as a result of weak procurement, which thrives on personal, group, political or electoral interest-transactional life.
Now, do you have leaders who will be able to remove these interests? Yes. Willpower. Peter Obi and I were willing to do that in 2023.
Do you have the formula to fix Nigeria?
We have the formula to do that.
Beyond the formula is the realisation of Nigeria. It does look like we are a nation divided, and as such can never see development? How do we mend the divided fibre of our nation?
You don’t need to be educated to know the difference between right and wrong. Without sounding academic, our case is like a pyramid.
At the rock bottom is basic literacy of a nation. Just above it you have civic awareness , social enlightenment, education and professionalism. And this is the way almost all societies are structured. What is desirable is that there be no gap if you take the society for a square, and that the square be filled by the percentage of the population that are literate, enlightened, educated and professional.
Historically, there’s a small number of medical doctors, engineers, architects, PhD holders and all that. You can’t have 100% of the population and that’s why it goes up as a pyramid.
The actual point therefore, the level of civic awareness shows how literate the Nigerian society is, and the unity index is not good.
Let’s go back in time and open up the conversation and put that on one side and then contrast with the very stable, peaceful and prosperous countries of the Middle East, the monarchies. Most American presidents after swearing in, among the first places they go is the Middle East. Donald Trump was there. There wasn’t a single democracy.
I plotted on a graph the stability and the type of government. This was in 2022. And in the Middle East, all the monarchies are stable and prosperous and peaceful. I regret saying democracy is sweet.
The arguments behind it are sweet but democracy is also delegated. And democracy is for the people who can’t practice it.
Is democracy working for us or not?
I love democracy. I want it. If you cannot practice democracy, democracy is not for you. And I’m not saying that we should stop practicing democracy today. What I’m saying is that we must practice it. And it is not rocket science. It’s not impossible to practice. The first thing we should do is that our electoral system must produce the leaders that are elected by the people. Not the kind of election we saw in 2023.
The second perspective-are Nigerians demanding their rights? Regrettably, no. And I think that is what you rightly but simplistically put as divided.
Maybe the Middle East realised their temperament and history is not consistent with democracy, so they won’t start it in the first place.
How can corruption be stopped?
We have to create our peace and prosperity by being deliberate in stopping waste. When you have leaders that remove personal ,group and political interests from governance, then you can fight corruption.
Would you be contesting in 2027, and with Peter Obi?
Absolutely. If Nigeria is still around and there is an electoral system to follow, my love for Nigeria is undying. I will appropriately associate with the groups and individuals I think are like-minded and will try to rescue.
You don’t seem willing to leave the Labour Party?
There are two individuals I will succumb to. The first one has not said, so I will not say it on his behalf. The second one is Peter Obi. I’m always with Peter until he decides not to. I am still paying a heavy price for going to call for unity in the Labour Party and I’m not regretting it. I want to unite the Labour Party. Let him come back.
Removing a government is no problem. As big as Tinubu is, he can be defeated easily. He can be removed. And I don’t want the coalition to repeat 2015, deceive the whole world that there is a credible government that’s coming and then bring in the worst government Nigeria has ever seen.
