Labour Party Warns Shettima over Unguarded Remarks against Obi

Kate Ejisu

The Labour Party (LP) has expressed dismay and disgust over the various unguarded disparaging remarks passed on its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi and other candidates by the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Kassim Shettima.

The party in a statement signed by the Director General, Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said all political parties are all signatories to the National Peace Accord supervised by  National Peace Committee, which represents the bonafide code of conduct, for all corporate and individual direct participants, in the current electoral process.

He added that  the Peace Accord signed in Abuja  expressly stated that  candidates would avoid the use of abusive and offensive language, throughout the campaigns.

However, Okupe noted that  it is  very unfortunate and regretful, but not exactly surprising that in flagrant disregard for the clauses and principles of this accord, the APC vice presidential candidate in particular, has continued repeatedly to play the court jester by persistently, irresponsibly and recklessly, making all sorts of derogatory comments, totally at variance with good manners and decorum.

He said:  “We are in no doubt whatsoever , that while he has consistently abused the opportunity of public audience, by making these snide remarks about His Excellency, Peter Obi and other candidates, he cannot, in the least and in any way, ever measure up to these his political superiors, in integrity, character and status, not to mention vision , policies and national acceptance.”

“We here emphasize, that strictly in line, with the directives of our Presidential Candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi, to keep the campaign engagement and rhetoric, civil and issue based , we have resisted his sustained diatribe, and could not bring ourselves to his dirt level, to respond to him in like manner.

“However,  it must be placed on record, that this does not represent a lack of capacity to publicly take him on, especially as he personally carries a huge burden of a sordid and reprehensible past.

“At this juncture, the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation will like to  advise the APC, to rein in and restrain, its vice presidential candidate, from further uncouth and unguarded language , against our candidate, and all other candidates in this race.

“It can be understood that he is still basking in the euphoria of having been nominated, to the exalted position of the vice presidential candidate of a party, which ordinarily could never have occurred, in an environment of strict adherence to best practices and high moral and character values, where due attention is paid to pedigree, personal records and known antecedents.

“For a fact, in other civilised climes, a presidential election is a serious process of responsibility to the people, and should not become a putreous arena for display of bad manners and verbal hooliganism. We will like to remind Shettima that those who make their living in glass houses, should not have stone throwing, as their hobby. A word should be enough for the wise.”