He expressed this belief while responding to questions on Channels Television’s Politics Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.
“Go and start looking at the bookings of major European airlines into Nigeria,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“Not during Christmas time. After Christmas time. Late January to the third week of February. You will see that they are getting full. unusually. I’m into the business of data and statistics. And I decided to particularly look at that. This tells you that social media is going to vote. Even if they are in Antarctica, one person is there and he mobilizes 100,000 people here to go out and vote. It has succeeded.
“We are not scared. The bank balance of any big politician is starting to be irrelevant. Those of us who sweated for the little that we have, we are spending it very wisely and carefully. Those of them who made it from the government, who will just open the coffers and bring it out; they will continue to splash it and it will continue to mean less and less", he said.
Baba-Ahmed who represented Zaria in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007, and later Kaduna North senatorial district between 2011 and 2012, opined that youths who many believe are only on social media will shock the country with votes in the coming elections.
It would be recalled that many politicians and party supporters have mocked the Labour Party saying that the popularity of the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will not translate to massive votes in next year’s election.
Baba-Ahmed, however, countered this claim, and added that money would not influence the outcome of the election.
Also recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised Nigerian youths to ensure that they translate their social media revolution into active participation in politics and voting during the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
INEC Director, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), Ayodele Aluko, had thrown the challenge at the youths during voter registration campaign in Abuja, lamenting that despite making up 51 per cent of the over 84 million registered voters in the 2019 general elections, less than the number of youths eventually voted.