NEWS
2023: Okupe resigns as Baba-Ahmed emerges as Obi’s running mate
By Paul Eso
Baring any last minutes changes, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, will on Friday, be announced as the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party’s candidate, Mr. Peter Obi
The choice of running mates has become a big issue for presidential candidates and their parties including the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, warranting most of them to resort to what’s now known as ‘placeholders’.
Okupe withdraws
The Director General of the Peter Obi Campaign Organization, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who has been a VP candidate placeholder, has withdrawn from the presidential race. His resignation was to make way for the substantive running mate from the north to balance the geopolitical and religious considerations.
Okupe in a tweet Thursday via his verified Twitter account, said: “This afternoon, I submitted my withdrawal letter from the position of the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party to INEC. A replacement will be announced by the national chairman of the party shortly. I feel greatly blessed to have been part of the foundation of success for the LP”
The LP entered into merger talks with the Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP. However, the talks collapsed due to the inability of the parties to agree on who would be the eventual standard flag bearer if the merger arrangements scaled through.
Obi’s candidacy has received massive acceptance across the country especially among the youths and has metamorphosed into a movement known the OBIdient Movement with the slogan: #TakeBackNaija.
Speaking on his choice of running mate on a television interview on Wednesday, the LP presidential candidate disclosed that he preferred a younger person. Therefore, it was not surprising to many when the name of 46 years old cerebral academic was reported as the potential VP candidate.
Who’s Baba-Ahmed?
Sen. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed is a 46 year old Academic, Businessman and Nigerian politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007, and was elected Senator for Kaduna North, in Kaduna State, Nigeria in April 2011 running on the Congress for Progressive Change ticket, with a remarkable record of the credit of sponsoring important legislation in a very short time.
Baba-Ahmed has four degrees; a BSc and MSc in Economics from University of Maiduguri, a MBA from University of Wales, Cardiff and in 2006, he successfully completed his PhD studies, earning the title of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Westminster.
READ ALSO: All you need to know about Peter Obi, LP candidate
After his service year at University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Ogun state, he worked as Projects Co-ordinator, Baze Research and Data Services Ltd. and as Officer II in the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, Lagos. He worked as a Banking Officer, First Bank of Nigeria Plc from July 1997 to Dec 1998 and then came back to become the Managing Director of Baze Research and Data Services Ltd in July 1999 – January 2003, before venturing into politics.
In 2011, Sen. Baba-Ahmed established Baze University, an independent University located in Abuja, and Baba-Ahmed University, Kano (Awaiting License). Using his studies abroad as a benchmark, he noted that the Nigerian educational system was “appalling”. This inspired the birth of Baze University, “to contribute towards fixing the system in order for Nigeria to realize its potentials and address various challenges”.
He’s the Pro-chancellor of Baze University Abuja where the Baze University Hospital which is said to be the biggest private hospital in Africa is domiciled.
Sen. Datti is a well accomplished philanthropist. Among many of his corporate social responsibility projects; he built and donated two junior secondary schools with total capacity of 4,000 students. It is worthy of note that the schools have graduated over 6,000 students to date.
In 2015, Baba-Ahmed was appointed as Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Hope Alive Foundation – which campaigns for post-service economic survival of corps members who suffered permanent disability during service.
Baba-Ahmed was popular for his principled activism. During the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, he was among lawmakers who opposed letting Obasanjo run for a third term.
In May 2006 he said he would not run for reelection unless action was taken to investigate allegations that members had been bribed to support the constitutional changes needed for a third term presidency.
In 2007 he took the Independent National Electoral Commission to court over conduct of past elections. He was known for speaking out against corruption.
Sen. Baba-Ahmed is currently the Pro-Chancellor of Baze University, Managing Director, Baze Research & Data Service Ltd, Chairman, Baze Construction Ltd. His companies employ a total of over 1000 people including expatriates, and highly skilled professional Nigerians from the Diaspora.
The Enugu State Government has commended the Republic of Finland for the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based leader of the proscribed separatist group, Autopilots.
Ekpa has been accused of orchestrating violence and chaos in Nigeria’s South East region.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the government described Ekpa as a “common criminal, con man, and terrorist” who has exploited the Igbo people while claiming to represent their interests.
RELATED NEWS: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
“The Enugu State Government welcomes the arrest of the Finland-based terrorist, Simon Ekpa,” the statement read.
“His arrest and trial will no doubt go a long way in strengthening peace, security, and stability in all parts of the South East.”
The state government accused Ekpa of sponsoring violent activities that have resulted in the loss of lives, destruction of property, and disruption of the region’s economic activities.
It stated that Ekpa’s actions were driven by personal greed and not genuine concern for the Igbo people.
Onyia said, “Ekpa is a murderer and fraudster who delights in killing his people and living large off their misery.
“He thrives on manipulating, exploiting, and extorting the people on the pretext of fighting for their interest and for the restoration of Biafra.”
The government emphasized its readiness to provide evidence of Ekpa’s alleged crimes to support his prosecution, whether in Finland or Nigeria.
“This arrest is in line with the demand of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration, which has repeatedly made it known that Ekpa is a megalomaniac, common criminal, murderer, and fraudster who takes joy in feeding fat on the manipulated emotions of Ndigbo and inflicting misery on the South East region,” the statement added.
The government further criticized Ekpa for fostering a climate of fear and insecurity that has harmed the entrepreneurial spirit and economic growth of the Igbo people.
“Ekpa has for long, and unfortunately from Finland, made a living by creating a siege climate and mentality in the South East, destroying lives, property, and the Igbo trademark of entrepreneurship and hard work,” Onyia said.
The Enugu State Government expressed optimism that Ekpa’s arrest would mark a turning point in the quest for peace and stability in the South East, urging residents to remain vigilant and supportive of ongoing efforts to restore normalcy in the region.
The COP29 presidency has unveiled an ambitious climate finance plan, calling on developed nations to provide $250 billion annually to developing countries by 2035.
The proposal, part of a broader initiative to mobilize $1.3 trillion from public and private sources each year, seeks to address the mounting challenges posed by climate change.
The five-page draft text, released on Friday, emphasizes the need for developed nations to lead the charge in financing climate action.
RELATED NEWS: COP29: Climate Summit Faces Deadlock Over Vague Funding Proposals For Vulnerable Nations
According to the document, this financial commitment is seen as a critical step toward combating the climate crisis and fostering sustainable development globally.
“In this context, it is decided to set a goal in extension of the goal referred to in paragraph 53 of decision 1/CP.21, with developed country Parties taking the lead, to USD 250 billion per year by 2035 for developing country Parties for climate action,” the draft states.
The announcement follows the release of an earlier 10-page draft on Thursday, which drew significant criticism from Global South delegations.
Many expressed frustration that the document lacked clear financial commitments from wealthier nations, falling short of expectations to support adaptation and mitigation efforts.
“There is a clear need to address the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, especially given the diverse circumstances shaping national priorities,” a negotiator from a developing country delegation remarked.
The updated proposal aims to address some of these concerns by outlining more specific targets. However, skepticism remains among some negotiators, who feel the revisions still fail to adequately address their demands.
Meanwhile, developed countries have raised their own reservations about the proposed plan.
A European negotiator, speaking to Reuters, described the $250 billion annual target as unrealistic and criticized the lack of measures to expand the pool of contributing countries.
“No one is comfortable with the number because it’s high, and there’s almost nothing on broadening the contributor base,” the negotiator said.
The mixed reactions underscore the persistent divide between developed and developing nations in climate negotiations.
While the draft text aims to reconcile these differences, the gap between expectations and commitments remains a significant hurdle.
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
ALSO READ: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
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