By Iliyasu Gadu
Like millions of Nigerians, I watched Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed’s enthralling interview on Arise Television wherein he talked on the trending issue of coalition politics in the country.
Towards the end of the interview, the anchor Charles Aniagolu had asked the Senator his views on the much talked about issue of the uncertainty surrounding Vice President Kashim Shettima and whether as being widely speculated, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may decide to off load the VP from the ticket.
Without revealing details, Senator Datti remarked that President Tinubu had ‘’tried’’ by retaining Shettima on the position for this long. He stated pointedly ‘’On Shettima, I don’t blame Tinubu. Because whoever knows what Shettima did and does, will not allow him last this long.’’ When pressed by Aniagolu to disclose more on what VP Shettima had done to deserve being removed from his present position by President Tinubu, Senator Datti demurred by saying ‘’It is a pregnant statement. I wish I could say more. What people do for power is unbelievable.’’
VP Shettima’s response to Senator Datti came through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha who described the former’s statement as a desperate act. Nkwocha stated that ‘’The real definition of political desperation and desire to capture power can only be situated in Datti’s political trajectory’’. He then went on ‘’Need I remind Datti how he was removed from the Senate due to a court ruling after the Election Petition Tribunal in Kaduna discovered that the election was rigged in his favour?’’.
Going through Nkwocha’s entire statement as an interested Nigerian and a fellow practitioner in the business of public affairs I think the SA allowed himself to unnecessarily flip over Senator Datti’s remarks which to all intents and purposes was inconclusive (no pun intended). In his statement on Shettima, the Senator made what amounted to a veiled remark and resisted the anchor Aniagolu’s prodding to reveal more of what he knew about the VP.
I do not speak for Senator Datti but as this is a matter of overriding public interest and as a practitioner, I consider it within my purview to weigh in with my comments. As a seasoned professional, Nkwocha should have refrained from going on overdrive as he did in his response especially as Senator had stopped short of providing full details of what he was alluding to the VP’s shortcomings. All Nkwocha should have done in response was to have acknowledged Senator Datti’s’s statement and to say that since it lacked details the onus lied on him (Senator Datti) to prove his claims on the VP to the Nigerian public. This would have been a more nuanced response expected of the publicist of a highly placed public official who happens to be by order of protocol the occupant of a second highest office in the land.
In this regard, Nkwocha’s response is rather distasteful and indecorous. In his haste to defend his boss, he failed to exercise the necessary caution as the case demands and instead proceeded to launch tirades at Senator Datti even going personal at him. In the course of the interview Senator Datti granted Arise TV, he did not talk about VP Shettima alone. He commented on former VP Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi all of whom are high personalities in their own rights; but they all no better than to challenge Senator Datti.
I have taken the trouble to look into the personal profile of both men and my findings show that the two are poles apart in terms of profile, solid personal and public achievements in politics, business and philanthropy.
In terms of educational attainments, Senator Datti has two Masters Degree as well as a PhD from the prestigious Harvard University in Masachussetts, United States of America. He also has a certificate form the London Business School. He is also a founder of two universities here in Nigeria renowned for academic quality and production of high-end graduates.
Politically, at the 2023 elections, the ObiDatti movement was reckoned with as the greatest political movement that swept the country and achieved the unprecedented feat of defeating the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in Lagos the state which Shettima’s principal governed for 8 years and where his political roots are.
To put it into context, Nkwocha’s response reflect the fit of jitters and paranoia which seemed to have gripped the Tinubu presidency in view of recent developments in the polity. A palpable panic mode seemed to have set into the presidency especially the office of the Vice President Shettima as negative speculations are currently swirling around his fate leading to a loss of nuanced thinking and action on sensitive matters. As Senator Datti was short of stating the exact allegation against VP Shettima all a logical SA should do if he must react is to ask for that specific allegation or at best say that they await to know in order to react.
But such is the current state of dysfunction in the VP’s office that even a veteran like Nkwocha who ought to know better is resorting to name calling in order to defend his principal in manner that brings disrepute to the exalted office of the VP and to his professional standing.
Gadu is the Public Affairs Analyst and Political Associate to Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed.
