The ‘Arrogance’ Must Stop, Labour Party Condemns Tinubu, Atiku’s Absence At Debate

The Labour Party has condemned the refusal of the Presidential Candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and that of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, to attend a town hall meeting called by Arise/CDD on Sunday.

The party made its position known on Monday during a press conference held by the Director General of the Obi/Datti presidential council, Doyin Okupe.

Recall the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, joined his counterparts of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Musa Kwankwaso and Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Kola Abiola, at the event held on Sunday evening in Abuja.

The Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, Ifeanyi Okowa, represented Atiku at the event.

The non-appearance of both Tinubu and Atiku irked some supporters of some presidential candidates who demanded that their presidential candidates leave the event in order not to speak on the same podium with VP.

The protest stalled the take- off of the event for over an hour.

But the Labour Party felt cheated at the development, warning that any debate or town hall meeting that would be called must not be a mixed one otherwise its presidential candidate will opt out.

Okupe noted  “a growing trend of irresponsibility, arrogance and disregard for the electorate,” has “gone beyond coincidence, and is at risk of becoming the norm.”

He pointed out that Tinubu had missed the 22 August 2022 Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association and instead sent his running mate, Kashim Shettima, while other top contenders invited to the event attended.

He also explained that Tinubu skipped the September 13 and 14 2022, event of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lagos and several attempts have been unsuccessful for him to appear. Instead, he organised similar events of his own.

 Okupe said the Obi/Datti Campaign Organisation “condemns this disregard for the electorate and the people, by 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.

“It is our firm conviction that anything short of the simple, transparent and honest adherence to this basic contract of responsibility, falls short of the standards of fair contest and engagement and can only be interpreted as mischievous evasion of the desired interface with the people,” Okupe said.

He said the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation LPPCO “finds it totally reprehensible and inconceivable why any Presidential Candidate for these elections should think that they are doing the voting public and indeed all Nigerians a favour, by appearing in person, at these scheduled programs which are a fundamental part of the election season and process.

“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.

“For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency Peter 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.”

He further explained it is an established fact beyond contradiction that Obi is the leading candidate in the presidential race, and yet does not display the “baseless and arrogant disposition of some of his co- candidates.”

The former media aide to President Goodluck Jonathan added that “To add insult to injury, yesterday at the Arise TV Townhall Meeting, the Vice Presidential candidate who purported to represent his Presidential Candidate, sought to explain his presence under the obnoxious pretext that the ‘Presidency is one.’

“This is a blatant lie and to say the least a deceptive attempt to pull wool over the eyes of Nigerians.

“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.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the onus and the duty of presenting his position, vision, policies and plans and responding to questions therefrom, is the responsibility of the presidential candidate, in first person, including the fact of being held accountable for his presentation,” Okupe said.

Okupe further stressed  that “it is the primary duty of care and response that cannot be relegated, delegated or avoided, as a matter of deception or evasion, as it encompasses the right of the people to full and total knowledge of what the candidate has in stock for them.

“With every respect to the office of the Vice Presidential candidate, this is a duty reserved for the person of each and every presidential candidate.

“We 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.

“Finally, Let us make it clear today, that these recurring acts will no longer be acceptable to the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation.

“While our Candidate Mr Peter Obi and our Vice Presidential Candidate Dr Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, are prepared at all times to engage other candidates, and the Nigerian people, in any duly scheduled debates, Town Hall meetings and any other appearances as designated and scheduled.

“This election season, they will only be prepared to mount the podium, with their peers in this presidential race, and not with any surrogates or diversionary delegated representation.

“This stand is taken with the utmost respect for the rights and desires of Nigerians to full and direct information, and first-hand responses and presentations, necessary for the best assessment of worthiness, capacity, capability, competence, character, integrity and disposition, as required to make the right choice in these coming elections,” Okupe said.