Urbane Baba-Ahmed knocks Shettima’s penchant for denigrating political opponents
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“Regular insults which have now become [Shettima’s] trademark, have not spared the current Vice President [Yemi Osinbajo] whom he directed to go and sell ice cream, nor the former Vice President [Atiku Abubakar] whom he described as a pure water seller, a noble venture which serves the populace better than a certain white substance.”
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Labour Party (LP) vice presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has urged All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Kashim Shettima to polish his speech in line with his “improved dress sense” at public functions.
Shettima, who stood in for his principal, Bola Tinubu, was mocked on August 22 for dressing in an oversized suit-and-sneakers at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) conference in Lagos.
He suffered backlash on Twitter where #ShettimaChallenge trended with tweeps making posts mimicking his dress sense.
Shettima defended his position saying he deliberately wore the sneakers to shame his critics, but the excuse failed to dissuade social media critics from dragging him.
At a conference in Abuja on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed, the running mate of Peter Obi, noted Shettima has improved on his public appearance.
He, however, chastised his penchant for denigrating political opponents urged the former Borno Governor to improve on his public composure and discipline.
“We congratulate Mr. Shettima on having improved his dressing, but equally remind him that he needs to improve on his public composure and discipline in communication.
“Shettima is called upon to speak kindly and more responsibly about all personalities if only to uphold long-established standards.
“Little wonder he has consistently put to shame the noble heritage of the great Bornu Empire, in his unguarded and uncultured public pronouncements, which expose his intellectual laziness and discomfort with empirical facts and arguments.”
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Shettima’s trademark insults
“Regular insults which have now become his trademark, have not spared the current Vice President [Yemi Osinbajo] whom he directed to go and sell ice cream, nor the former Vice President [Atiku Abubakar] whom he described as a pure water seller, a noble venture which serves the populace better than a certain white substance,” Baba-Ahmed said, per reporting by The PUNCH.
“It is pertinent to recall how Mr. Shettima at a recent public event belittled Atiku Abubakar’s educational qualification as well as the modest lifestyle of Peter Obi.
“Clearly Mr. Shettima is out of touch with reality and cannot understand that people like Peter Obi who have reached the heights in business and material achievement have long transcended the need for ostentatious display of wealth.”
A livid Baba-Ahmed said the strategy of the APC against Obi now appears clearly centered on promoting falsehood, in addition to derogatory personal attacks, because they can find no contentious points of negativity to push.
He also did not spare Atiki, presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for making unethical statements on the fulcrum of ethnicity.
“It is important to underline that oaths of office do not expire with tenure, and hence the comment that the Northern electorate do not need a Yoruba or Igbo leader is greatly at variance with the oaths of office taken in 1999 and 2003 respectively, and the Peace Accord of 2022.
“This is to call upon the owner of the statement to respectfully retract same in order to be readmitted to the honour list of esteemed presidential candidates.
“Truth of the matter is that every Nigerian from anywhere needs a credible and competent president.”