The Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council has called on Nigerians to reject the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart who “have assumed the position of emperors and rulers, and not responsible politicians, who are willing to serve and listen to the people.”
At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the Director General of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, said candidates of both parties “placed their position of trust in critical jeopardy by their high horse of arrogance and non accountability.’
Assuring that “Obi is prepared at any appointed time, to engage the Nigerian people on his mission and vision for the people and country whom he seeks to lead competently and responsibly”, Okupe warned that henceforth his principal would not participate in debates meant for presidential candidates but has representation of running mates of other parties.
The party has also threatened to pull out of further invitations and debates due to the recurring acts of other candidates flagrantly refusing to honour debates engagements, saying such will no “longer be acceptable” by its campaign council.
Okupe was piqued by the row that ensued at the Arise TV Townhall meeting the previous day between supporters of LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his PDP counterpart, Atiku Abubakar following the absence of the latter represented by his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state at the occasion.
The former presidential spokesperson who flayed the PDP’s candidate, said even though the APC presidential candidate was absent at the event, he was honest enough not to have sent a “proxy like Atiku” did.
He said: “I have called you this afternoon to speak on a growing trend of irresponsibility, arrogance and disregard for the electorate, which has now gone beyond coincidence, and is at risk of becoming the norm.
“On Monday 22nd August 2022 the Nigerian Bar Association invited the leading Presidential candidates to address her Annual Bar Conference and the Nigerian people at this epic occasion, the Presidential Candidate of the APC sent his Vice Presidential candidate to represent him.
“This sparked a protest and rowdy situation by supporters of the other Presidential candidates present.
“The Labour Party presidential candidate His Excellency Mr Peter Obi, and the Presidential Campaign Organisation totally condemns this disregard for the electorate and the people, by the these absentee Presidential Candidates.
“The decision to present oneself as a Presidential candidate does not start and end with the purchase, submission of forms and certification as a candidate by INEC.
“It also forebodes on the candidate a high degree of responsibility to present himself for open discussions and explanations on his policies, visions and plans for the people to enable a better understanding and engender an appropriate choice by the electorate in the coming elections.
“These candidates who have assumed the position of emperors and rulers, and not responsible politicians, who are willing to serve and listen to the people, place their position of trust in critical jeopardy by their high horse of arrogance and non-accountability.
“The joint ticket in a presidential election, and in a substantive Presidency, is a constitutional provision for temporary or permanent substitution, where the Presidential candidate is primarily incapacitated or otherwise critically unavailable.
Okupe said their presidential candidates would only be prepared in this election season to mount “the podium with their peers and not with any surrogates or diversionary delegated representation.
His words: “Let us make it clear today, that these recurring acts will no longer be acceptable to the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation.
“The party “firmly and irrevocably call on the Nigerian people, in entirety, to reject any presidential candidate that habitually and deceptively treats the rights of the people to hear directly from him, with disrespect, dishonour and ignominy.”
