The Labour Party (LP) has reignited controversy over the 2023 Nigerian presidential election, with its National Chairman, Julius Abure, alleging that the party’s actual votes were reduced from about 10 million to just six million in the official tally.
Speaking on Wednesday at a rally held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Abure accused electoral authorities of rigging the results, echoing long-standing grievances over the outcome. “On the night Peter Obi defected, I received a telephone call from our vice-presidential candidate … he said it was the platform upon which he, along with the former candidate, received 10 million votes from Nigerians, which was reduced to six million votes. We all know what happened,” Abure said.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the final results showed the Labour Party polling 6,101,533 votes, placing third behind the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 poll.
Abure’s allegations were voiced as Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, the party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, declared his interest in contesting the 2027 presidency. Baba-Ahmed sought to frame his ambitions as rooted in principle, stressing that his bid was not to “follow anybody’s trajectory or step into anybody’s shoes.”
The party veteran recounting his political journey told supporters, “I saw a rare opportunity for national unity to have elected Peter Obi in 2023, and that is why I decided to flow with it.”
“Can I please remind you that before His Excellency Governor Peter Obi filed for the presidency, I aspired for the presidency before him? The records are there for you to see.”
The former lawmaker recalled his earlier attempt to secure his party’s presidential ticket, noting that he had contested in the Peoples Democratic Party primaries years before aligning with Obi in the Labour Party.
“In October 2018, I participated in the primaries of the then PDP in Port Harcourt and walked to Obi for his vote, and he smiled at me. What a gentleman he was.
“If you heard me well in what I just submitted, I saw a rare opportunity for national unity to have elected Peter Obi in 2023. And that is why I decided to flow with it,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also addressed concerns about religion and ethnicity, insisting that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees every qualified citizen the right to seek elective office.
“Yes, I am a practising Muslim. But I’m a Nigerian, and the constitution allows me to contest. You asked about my ethnicity. Yes, I am a Hausa man, and the Nigerian constitution also allows me to contest. I’m doing this because Nigeria needs help,” he said.
However, Baba-Ahmed noted that while he had made his intention known, he would adhere strictly to party and electoral guidelines.
“However, as a law-abiding citizen and a loyal party member, until the timetable is released by INEC and the leadership of the Labour Party calls for interested aspirants, I will not say anything about it. But remember I told you that Nigerians know the truth,” he stated.
Abure also sought to downplay internal fractures following the defection of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying the LP remained united. He highlighted Abia State Governor Alex Otti and Baba-Ahmed for staying with the party despite speculation of further defections. “The Labour Party is intact; we will not let Nigerians down. We will remain together and provide a genuine alternative for Nigerians,” Abure said.
The claims by the LP leadership revisit arguments raised in the party’s earlier legal challenge, which alleged electoral malpractice and voter fraud but was dismissed by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
No immediate comment was available from INEC on the fresh claims, which surface as Obi has bolted to the African Democratic Congress, potentially fracturing opposition ranks in Africa’s most populous nation.
