Headline
Presidential Poll: Why Tinubu Can’t Be Sworn In As President -Datti Ahmed
…Says Ex Lagos Gov Certificate Of Return Will Bounce Like Dud Cheque
The Labour Party vice presidential candidate in the just concluded February 25 elections, Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed, has insisted that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, can not be sworn in as president of the country.
Speaking with Arise TV on Wednesday, Datti declared that swearing in Tinubu would be “as good as swearing in military regime”.
According to the vice presidential candidate, there was a constitutional breach during the presidential poll that produced Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as President-elect.
Recall that the Labour Party filed its petition, challenging the election results on four grounds, before the elections petitions tribunal on Tuesday.
Likening Mr Tinubu’s certificate of return to a dud cheque that lacked the required credit to be considered of any value, Mr Baba-Ahmed said the election did not produce any legitimate winner.
“We do not have a president-elect in Nigeria today. What Alhaji Tinubu is holding is a dud certificate. It’s a dud cheque. There are no funds in that account. It will bounce,” Mr Baba-Ahmed said on ARISE TV.
Although the Labour Party candidate cited the wrong section, he attempted to dissect what he described as the constitutionality of Mr Tinubu’s emergence. He posited that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) misinterpreted a particular section of the Constitution (133(b)) which addresses the number of votes the president-elect must garner to be declared the winner.
Section 133 (1) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution states that a candidate can only be declared president if “he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”
According to Mr Baba-Ahmed, INEC did not comply with this section as Mr Tinubu lost the FCT to the Labour Party having had only 90,902 votes (19 per cent) against Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s 281,717 (61 per cent).
“There is the clear interpretation of 134, and there is the INEC interpretation of 134,” he said.
Tinubu, represented by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima at a formal reception in Uyo on Saturday, welcomed the governor and his supporters to the ruling party.
He pledged that Governor Eno would not be abandoned and would have no regrets about joining the APC.
According to Shettima, “The strength of any political party comes not from division, but from unity of purpose. We are here today because we understand that enduring power lies in standing together, not in isolation or internal strife.”
He emphasized that the APC is a party of the people, saying, “We believe in building bridges, not walls; in mending fences, not erecting new ones. Above all, we know that the strength of a political party lies in its people — the people are the party.”
Speaking directly to Governor Eno, Shettima added: “President Tinubu is a bridge-builder and a democrat. Your decision to join the APC is one you will never regret. You will not be humiliated or forsaken. You are home.”
Speaking through Ghana’s Finance Minister at the West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) in Abuja on Saturday, President Mahama warned that economic integration and trade cannot thrive in an atmosphere of political instability.
“Trade cannot flourish where democracy is in retreat. Investment does not land where governance is broken.
“The recent wave of instability and military takeovers in our region is not just a security concern—it is an economic emergency. We must defend democracy as a prerequisite for prosperity.
“Let West African leaders recommit to constitutional order—not as an abstract ideal, but as a practical requirement for growth. We cannot unlock trade while our region is locked in conflict,” Mahama was quoted as saying.
In January 2025, ECOWAS formally acknowledged the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso—now members of the Alliance of Sahel States—following tensions rooted in the 2023 Niger coup.
To this end, Mahama called for the creation of an ECOWAS Charter on Democratic Stability and Economic Development, linking good governance with access to regional investment support.
The president urged leaders to recommit to constitutional order as a practical foundation for development, rather than merely a political ideal.
Akpabio said this on Saturday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital, during the official reception of Umo Eno to the APC.
“Governor Sheriff of Delta State thank you for joining the progressive family and moving the South South in a progressive direction.
“Governor Umo Eno, after you, Rivers State will just tumble, after Rivers State, Bayelsa will join.
“We won election with Governor Otu in Edo State and we produced an amiable Monday Okpebholo, congratulations once again for your victory.”
In April, Eno had hinted at leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for APC.
The governor had blamed the internal crisis within the PDP for his decision to leave the party for APC.
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