I left PDP because of my stance on not paying delegates during primaries — Ahmed Datti
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Datti Baba-Ahmed
Ahmed Datti, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has said he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of his stance on not paying delegates during primaries.
Senator Datti, who is the running mate to Peter Obi, said he withdrew from the governorship race In Kaduna State because he refused to pay delegates to vote for him. He said the leader of the PDP in Kaduna became ‘afraid of him’.
He revealed this while featuring on Politics Today, a political Programme on Channels TV on Friday.
Many have labelled the Labour Party as an extension of the PDP because both Messrs Obi and Baba-Ahmed left the PDP recently. The former was a presidential aspirant in the party but left days before the National Convention.
Speaking on the PDP, Mr Baba-Ahmed said his former party is in stagnation and he had no future in it.
“I withdrew from the governorship race because God has not made me to be one that will buy delegates’ votes,” he said
“It became clear that they are afraid of me and jittery that I had no future in that party. I had to leave.”
Mr Baba-Ahmed said he did not join the presidential race because he believes it is the turn of the south.
“In 2018, most of the serious politicians from the south considered it the turn of the north, the Muslim north—stayed back and did not contest. It was a gesture of friendliness and brotherhood.
“With due respect to my brothers from the north and Muslims who feel they should contest now, I was of the view that we should reciprocate and nothing more than that,” he said.
He also dismissed the claim that Labour Party is only on social media, noting that the party is a moving train that cannot “be bombed”.
He said anyone who earns legitimate income as a worker is a member of the party.
“Any body who earns legitimate income in Nigeria is by default a member of LP. If you go to work 9am to 5pm, If you engage in any form of legitimate business, by default you are a member of LP. We belong to Nigeria and Nigeria belongs to us.
“What is going to hit the ruling party is going to be worse than what happened in 2015. LP is a train, not like the Abuja/Kaduna train. It is hard to blow up this train. The whole of Nigeria is in it. We are blurring all demarcations,” he said.
Mr Baba-Ahmed said a Peter Obi government will eliminate fraud in government procurement process and use the ‘pyramid approach’ to address education.
He stated that the Labour government will ensure that workers ensure sufficient wages that will last for the entire month.
