‘Why Buhari, CJN Must Shun Tinubu’s Swearing-in Ceremony’

• Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, scheduled for May 29, 2023.

• Baba-Ahmed argues that swearing in a ticket that has not met constitutional requirements is a violation of democracy and that Tinubu should not have been issued a certificate of return by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu.

• Baba-Ahmed’s previous call for the CJN not to swear in Tinubu has been met with condemnation from the ruling All Progressives Congress, the Buhari-led federal government, and Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka.

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the just-concluded Nigerian presidential elections, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, scheduled for May 29, 2023.

Baba-Ahmed made this call in an interview on Channels Television on Friday, arguing that swearing in a ticket that has not met constitutional requirements is a violation of democracy.

Baba-Ahmed believes that Tinubu should not have been issued a certificate of return by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu. He described the process that produced Tinubu as Buhari’s successor as flawed and stated that whoever does not meet the constitutional requirements must never be sworn in. Baba-Ahmed urged President Buhari not to hold the inauguration and the CJN not to partake in unconstitutionality.

This is not the first time that Baba-Ahmed has called for the CJN not to swear in Tinubu. In a recent interview on the same platform, his call was met with condemnation from the ruling All Progressives Congress, the Buhari-led federal government, and Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka.

The issue of Tinubu’s eligibility has been a subject of debate, with some arguing that he is not qualified to contest for the presidency due to his age and alleged health issues. However, INEC has issued him a certificate of return as the winner of the presidential elections. Whether President Buhari and the CJN will heed Baba-Ahmed’s call remains to be seen.