Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said that Nigeria’s constitution must be followed to the letter in electing president.
Datti, who spoke on Monday at a conference organised by the Coalition of Nigerians living in the United Kingdom with theme; “Nigeria on Trial: Does Democracy Matter”? which took place in London on Monday, said democracy must be practised to the letter and that without adherence to the constitution, there would be no democracy.
“I believe in democracy, I don’t believe in dictatorship and what I believed in more is that democracy must be practiced well? What is democracy? It is not an arbitrary act of government. What is democracy? It is the constitution and without it, you simply do not have democracy.
“The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is different from the Electoral Act. I am speaking about ‘We, the people’. I am speaking about the supremacy of the constitution. I am speaking about how the constitution provides that the judiciary, the armed forces, the police and the National Assembly must exist.
“I am speaking about a constitution which says what must happen before there can be a validly elected president. I am here to encourage your sense of nationalism. I don’t have much to say as you very well know that the very little that i have said has rattled the system. So, out of respect for those who have advised before now, i won’t say much.
“Democracy belongs to the people who can practice it and the dividends of democracy belongs to the people who can extract it. I am speaking in general terms so that no minister will fly to New York and make allegations against me,” he said.
Datti had earlier said that swearing in the president elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu amounts to ending democracy in Nigeria as the APC candidate didn’t meet the constitutional requirement to be so declared.
