As Nigeria enters the most crucial stages of its electioneering cycle, a video showing the moment a mild drama ensued between the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, and the Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola at a public lecture on leadership recently.
While delivering his lecture, Fashola, who is a former Lagos State governor, stated that despite the fact there are some frontline candidates in the race for the presidency, he believes that as far as certain leadership qualities were concerned, only one candidate was best qualified for the job.
He said; “For my own frontline candidates, they were all elected as governors in different states. And they served for 8 years, except for one who got elevated into higher office. Solve the riddle. It will seem logical therefore to look at what they have done in their states, and in their elevated offices that have had a national impact. Don’t forget, national impact o.
And if you like, something that meets the ‘Azinge Standard’ for qualification for grants. That is something significant, something enduring, and something impactful. Is that not the Azinge standard? It seems to me, that only one candidate will meet that standard when we look at the work of the frontline candidates as qualifications for choosing them at the next general elections.”
Fashola then went on to reel out the achievements of the particular candidate, alongside that of the Muhammadu Buhari-led APC regime.
Quite interestingly, when it was his turn to deliver his lecture, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, who is the running mate to Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), proceeded to tackle the minister by pointing out that he had somehow forgotten to mention in his speech, that students were at home for 8 months, and that the Dollar currently exchanges for over 750 Naira.
He said; “we have heard about the bridges, and the 52% reduction in time, however, it is so interesting that we have not heard about the 8 months ASUU strike. No politics, please. Fashola is my boss. We also did not hear that the Dollar is now costing above 750 Naira, which I warned us against. Speaking about roads, my boss did not tell us anything about the Abuja-Kano expressway and practically nothing has been done about it. A leader should always be balanced. I am balancing that lecture, though it was very good.”
You can watch the exchange between both men below: