The Vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has rejected a call by the Nigerian Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on his call to a one-on-one debate.
In a statement by his media office on Saturday, 08 April 2023, Mr Datti explained that his decision not to debate Soyinka was far from cowardice but cultural and political.
Instead, he advised Mr Soyinka to use his influence to convince his preferred candidate, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to debate him.
The exchange between Soyinka and Datti started after the latter appeared on Politics Today. He expressed his displeasure over handling the 25 February general election and the result announced by INEC.
According to Datti, he won’t debate Soyinka as he was not on any opposing ballots in the election.
Why the Fight?
Mr Datti appeared on Politics Today on Channels Television on Wednesday, 22 March and during the interview, he advised the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, not to swear in Tinubu.
It could be recalled INEC declared Tinubu as President-elect, by issuing him a Certificate of Return, in a widely rejected and controversial election that has led the parties involved in an Appeal Court.
Baba-Ahmed claimed that the certificate of return was against the consititution. The 53-year-old politician stressed that swearing in Tinubu would end democracy in Nigeria, a statement Mr Soyinka has described as “a kind of do-or die attitude and provocation” which he thinks goes against democratic disposition.
The Professor claimed Ahmed-Baba’s statement is an attempt to “dictate to the supreme arbiter of the nation,” describing it as “unacceptable.”
See full statement by the Obi-Datti Media Office below:
DATTI BABA-AHMED WILL NOT DEBATE PROF. SOYINKA. Like many Nigerians, we are bewildered by the late-hour intervention of our respected Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka in issues around the flawed 2023 elections.
Where was he all this while? One of those who should ordinarily and rightfully be honoured as the conscience of the nation, Prof. Soyinka, is now criminalising dissent and in fact weighing in on the side of fraud and injustice! We state, therefore, that the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, cannot take up Prof. Soyinka’s offer of a public debate, not out of cowardice, but for cultural and political reasons.
Culturally it’s just not decent, their age and accomplishment gaps taken into account, for Datti to sit opposite the 88-year-old global icon and point out his folly to his face, even if the old man called for it. And politically, there is no basis for such a challenge in that Prof. is not on any of the opposite ballots.
If, however, he can use his influence to drag his preferred candidates, who resisted debates throughout the campaign, to the studio this second, Datti says he is more than willing to take them on. Signed: Obi-Datti Media Office.
