The vice presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has advised the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to consider opting out from opting out of 2023 presidential race if his strength cannot carry him, adding that the future of Nigeria is worth more than his personal ambition.
Briefing journalists Thursday in Abuja, Baba-Ahmed charged APC to call both its presidential and vice presidential candidates to order before they plunged the country into political violence with their incendiary remarks against other presidential candidates.
Fielding questions from newsmen on the strength and health of Tinubu to lead Nigeria, the Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate said he and the presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have taken personal decisions not to campaign against any candidate on the basis of health or age, based on the fact that their own (Obi and Baba-Ahmed) strength and health is not by their powers but God-given.
He however said that health, age and strength of candidates are basically a moral burden which concerned candidates only can decide, but said the future and freedom of Nigerians worth more than the presidential ambition of any candidate.
“We sympathise with Tinubu and will not hold it against him about that. Bola Ahmed Tinubu claims to be a godfather and he can continue to be a godfather. Let him go and relax, but if he thinks he can, let him come to the field, and we will beat him hands down and we will still respect him. By then, we will show him how we will develop Nigeria”, Baba-Ahmed said.
Recalling remarks of ex President Goodluck Jonathan that his personal ambition does not worth the blood of any Nigerian, the educationist said Nigerians have not heard of how other Presidential candidates will address issues of economy, including growth to production rate.
He however said though the careless utterances coming from Shettima is not a threat to the victory of Labour Party in the 2023, adding some erstwhile major political parties appear to have crossed the boundaries of decency to transgress peaceful activities and focus on political schedules.
While raising the alarm over comments by Tinubu in Delta that mentioning Peter Obi’s name is a disgrace to him, and that of Shettima that Peter Obi is glamorising poverty with his campaign, Baba-Ahmed said Obi is well known locally and internationally to have transcended beyond the level of obscene material accumulation.
According to him, the Labour Party is only raising the red flags because if Shettima, who had in the past said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is only good as an ice cream seller, while Atiku Abubakar as a bottle water seller, is allowed unchecked, it will get to the point where decency is thrown into the dustbin.
To this end, he cautioned that civility of Labour Party candidates should not be mistaken as weakness, just as he lamented what he described as resort to disinformation and misinformation by crumbling hitherto major political parties.