As the race for the presidency intensifies across Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the much-anticipated general elections, a video showing the moment the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed tackled the northern political class opposing his candidacy and that of his principal, Peter Gregory Obi, has surfaced online.
While addressing a hall filled with governors, elders, and political elites at the Northern Assembly on Wednesday, Datti, who is the younger brother to the Spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stated that the reason why the Arewa region has not had good leaders in government is that they do not like to hear or speak the truth when it matters the most.
Going further, the Labour Party VP candidate tackled northern leaders for attempting to resist the candidacy of Peter Obi despite knowing his track records and antecedents as former Anambra governor.
Rounding up his speech, Datti insisted that those opposing the Obi-Datti ticket among the region’s political elites would not be able to stop the Labour Party from emerging victorious because Nigerians have since decided to vote for competence and capacity.
“Irresponsible governance is responsible for the situation we are in. Where you see the problem, we see the solution. Our history and records have shown that we were able to create wealth, we did not derive wealth from the government. Logically speaking, we know how to move Nigeria from consumption to production. We are the ones who will bring an end to this endemic corruption. Imagine a governor who served 8 years without borrowing a penny, left 75 billion behind for his state, and refused to sign a law that would have enabled him to collect money.
Match that with a vice, who, when in 2006, they were selling Apo houses, not that the Act was wrong, but I disagreed with the principle of repayment. I was the only Senator among the 360 that refused to buy. The truth of the matter is that we don’t say the truth, we don’t like the truth, and we don’t support the truth. And that is why we have not yet been able to touch Allah’s Rahma (God’s mercy) by getting the right leaders. Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come. That idea now is that Nigerians have decided to vote for competence that you can trust, characters that you know, compassion that you can feel, and capacity that has been proven. We shall meet at the polls.”
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