A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Mayaki, has said the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Datti Baba-Ahmed, should face the law over his recent controversial interview.
OsunDaily News reported that Datti Baba-Ahmed had challenged the victory of Bola Tinubu, in a television interview with a controversial claim that the country does not have a president-elect.
The LP vice presidential candidate added that the Chief Justice of Nigeria should not conduct a swearing-in ceremony and President Muhammadu Buhari should not hand over power on May 29.
In a chat with Vanguard, Mayaki asked Baba-Ahmed to withdraw his comments disputing Tinubu’s victory, and his legal status as the President-elect or he would face legal action.
Mayaki stated that Baba-Ahmed must give a complete apology to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Tinubu, adding that his utterances are unbecoming.
He also commended Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka for his recent condemnation of Baba-Ahmed’s comments, adding that the literary icon had yet again demonstrated courage where others failed.
He said: “This is not a question of freedom of speech but rather what we must do, as citizens and joint shareholders of our country’s democracy and stability, when self-serving and irresponsible actors shout hate and dangerous divisive rhetorics into the loud and ubiquitous megaphones that are the conventional and new media.
“Regardless of anyone’s personal feelings and preference, the election has produced a winner who will be sworn in on the 29th of May in accordance with the laws of this country and the democratic norms we have kept since 1999 when we won back our freedom after years of bloody struggle.
“It is totally unbecoming for somebody to risk all of that just because his wet dream of seizing power was denied by the majority of Nigerians and for him to feel emboldened to go on television to spread inciting and seditious comments. This cannot just end at words; we must take action to ensure that there is never a repeat of such thoughtless action capable of throwing our country into chaos.”
“Datti-Ahmed must offer an immediate retraction, complete with an apology to the APC and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, or be brought in to answer for criminal incitement and sedition. The media, too, must ensure accountability and deny him access until he atones for his recklessness. This is in keeping with the media’s obligation to defend the truth and objective fact, which includes Bola Tinubu’s standing as the President-Elect.”
