The National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, on Wednesday alleged that the party was rigged out of votes in the 2023 presidential election, claiming its actual tally was reduced from about 10 million votes to six million.
Abure made the allegation at a rally held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, where the Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, formally declared his interest in contesting the 2027 presidential election.
According to the official results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2023, the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 8,794,726 votes, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 6,984,520 votes, the Labour Party recorded 6,101,533 votes, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) garnered 1,496,687 votes.
Speaking at the rally, Abure said the Labour Party’s electoral showing in 2023 did not reflect the support it received nationwide.
“On the night Peter Obi defected, I received a telephone call from our vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed. He said he is not leaving the party because it was the platform upon which he, along with the former candidate, received 10 million votes. We all know what happened,” Abure said.
The LP chairman’s claim echoes the party’s 2023 petition challenging INEC’s declaration of the presidential election results. The petition, which alleged widespread electoral malpractice and voter fraud, was however dismissed by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
The tribunal rejected several claims by the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, including allegations of fraud, violations of the Electoral Act by electoral authorities, and assertions that President Bola Tinubu was ineligible to contest the election.
Abure further insisted that the Labour Party remained united despite Obi’s defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He commended Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and Baba-Ahmed for remaining in the party amid speculations of possible defections following Obi’s exit.
“Only recently, the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, told the world that he joined the party before Peter Obi did — and that is true. Otti also said he was not going to defect with Peter Obi,” Abure said.
He disclosed that Baba-Ahmed personally proposed a meeting of party leaders and members to reaffirm unity within the party.
“He asked me to organise an event where members can come together. He first suggested that we meet at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel with a few senior members and that he would foot the bill.
“But I suggested that we hold the event here at the party secretariat and invite our members, artisans and ordinary people who truly own the party, and he agreed,” Abure explained.
“The Labour Party is intact; we will not let Nigerians down. We will remain together and provide a genuine alternative for Nigerians,” he added.
Addressing supporters, Baba-Ahmed said his decision to contest the presidency in 2027 was based on conviction and not an attempt to replace or follow anyone’s political path.
“I have made myself available to contest for the office in 2027. I’m not following anybody’s trajectory or stepping into anybody’s shoes,” he said.
He recalled that he had previously aspired to the presidency before the 2023 elections and had contested in the PDP presidential primaries before joining forces with Obi in the Labour Party.
“In October 2018, I participated in the primaries of the then PDP in Port Harcourt. When I saw a rare opportunity for national unity with Peter Obi in 2023, I decided to flow with it,” Baba-Ahmed said.
Addressing concerns around religion and ethnicity, he insisted that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees every qualified citizen the right to seek elective office.
“Yes, I am a practising Muslim. Yes, I am a Hausa man. But I am a Nigerian, and the Constitution allows me to contest. I’m doing this because Nigeria needs help,” he said.
However, Baba-Ahmed stressed that he would strictly follow party and electoral guidelines.
“Until INEC releases the timetable and the leadership of the Labour Party calls for interested aspirants, I will not say anything beyond this,” he stated.
