By Eric Elezuo
The Vice Presidential Candidate of Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has advised the vice presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, to work on, and improved his public composure and discipline in communication the same way he improved his dress sense to public functions. He made the remarks, noting that the former governor of Borno State has become a “morally-bankrupt character” who is out of touch with reality.
Recall that Shettima’s dressing of oversized suit and sneakers when he stood in for his principal, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the Nigeria Bar Association conference in Lagos in August , was severally mocked across social media platforms. His defence of his actions were rebuffed by the mocking public.
In a conference held in Abuja on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed, accused the APC vice presidential candidate of having a penchant for belittling his political opponents in all his speeches, citing how he addressed the incumbent vice president, Yemi Osinbajo as an ice cream seller, and a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar as a pure water seller.
Baba-Ahmed’s statement, which was made available to the press read in part: “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.
“Regular insults which have now become his trademark, have not spared the current Vice President whom he directed to go and sell ice cream, nor the former vice president whom he described as a pure water seller, a noble venture which serves the populace better than a certain white substance.
“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.”
Baba-Ahmed also petitioned the Abdusalam Abubakar-led Peace Committee to call to order the likes of Shettima as they have gone against the peace accord signed in September by all the political parties.
