Attack on Obi: Warn Kashim Shettima to bridle his tongue, Okupe tells APC
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Senator Shettima
The Director General of Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Doyin Okupe, has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC), to warn its vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima to stop attacking Peter Obi.
Okupe in a statement which a copy was made available to News Band said Kashim Shettima with his constant attack on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has gone contrary to the Peace Pact that was signed in Abuja by all the presidential candidates.
While noting that Shettima with his sordid past doesn’t belong in the class of Peter Obi and others, warned that those who live in a glass house should learn not to throw stones.
The statement reads, “We have watched with dismay and disgust, the various unguarded insults and disparaging remarks, passed on our presidential candidate and other candidates, by the vice presidential candidate of the APC, Mr Kassim Shettima.
“Whereas, our political parties, are all signatories to the National Peace Accord, supervised by General Abdulsalami Abubakar National Peace Committee chairman, which represents the bonafide Code of Conduct, for all corporate and individual direct participants, in the current electoral process.
“In the Peace Accord signed in Abuja, it was expressly stated, that candidates will avoid the use of abusive and offensive language, throughout the campaigns.
“It is therefore, very unfortunate and regretful, but not exactly surprising that in flagrant disregard for the clauses and principles of this accord, the APC vice presidential candidate in particular, has continued repeatedly, to play the court jester – by persistently, irresponsibly and recklessly, making all sorts of derogatory comments totally at variance with good manners and decorum.
“We are in no doubt whatsoever, that while he has consistently abused the opportunity of public audience, by making these snide remarks about His Excellency, Peter Obi and other candidates, he cannot, in the least and in any way, ever measure up to these his political superiors, in integrity, character and status, not to mention vision, policies and national acceptance.
“We here emphasize, that strictly in line, with the directives of our presidential candidate, his Excellency Peter Obi, to keep the campaign engagement and rhetorics, civil and issue based. We have resisted his sustained diatribe, and could not bring ourselves to his dirt level, to respond to him in like manner.
“However, it must be placed on record, that this does not represent a lack of capacity to publicly take him on, especially as he personally carries a huge burden of a sordid and reprehensible past.
“At this juncture, the Labour Party presidential Campaign Organisation will like to advise the APC, to rein in and restrain, its Vice presidential candidate, from further uncouth and unguarded language, against our candidate, and all other candidates in this race.
“It can be understood that he is still basking in the euphoria of having been nominated, to the exalted position of the Vice Presidential candidate of a party, which ordinarily could never have occurred, in an environment of strict adherence to best practices and high moral and character values, where due attention is paid to pedigree, personal records and known antecedents.
“For a fact, in other civilized climes, a presidential election is a serious process of responsibility to the people, and should not become a putreous arena for display of bad manners and verbal hooliganism.
“We will like to remind Shettima that those who make their living in glass houses, should not have stone throwing, as their hobby. A word should be enough for the wise.”
