*Weeps on TV

For Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), emotions took over at a point, on Sunday, while reminiscing on the insults being poured out on his family by political opponents, one of which dubbed him a Mauritanian, saying never had this happened until he teamed up with Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the party on the mission to save Nigeria from collapse.

So intense was the emotion that the former Senator, who appeared with his principal on Channels Television, where they took their turn to answer questions on their manifestos, policies and programmes lined up for Nigerians, should they win the this year’s presidential election, that he had to excuse himself to regain composure after coming down with tears.

The educationist and entrepreneur, who represented Kaduna North at the Senate, used the occasion of the Town Hall programme, to respond for the first time on the bashing he had received, the latest, by former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, saying: “Me and my family have been paying a huge price for my attempts to rescue Nigeria. They sent all sorts of people after me.”

“But the thing that I was able to sort with the presidential and vice-presidential candidate, I ended up suffering on a much lesser level. Thirty-five years ago, at least, our dad of blessed memory passed away. No one ever insulted him until I joined elections for presidency. This is not fair. It doesn’t happen anywhere in the world.

“You don’t insult people’s parents or their families. It’s a huge price for anyone to pay,” Baba-Ahmed said, evidently fighting back tears before momentarily excusing himself to step out of the hall, presumably to regain his composure.

Writing in a widely circulated piece article titled: A love letter to Datti Ahmed, on December 2022, Fani-Kayode, Director of New Media, All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), had descended on the Senator.

Part of the article read:  “For the record, let me put it to you that each of the women you accuse me of having children with were ALL my wives and, even though I may have had differences with one of them in the recent past, thankfully such differences have long since been settled, and I am proud of each and everyone one of them.

“I am also proud of my nine beautiful children who you have insisted on bringing into the political fray and insulted by mentioning, including the young ones.

“I can expect such despicable and low down practices and tactics from ill-born guttersnipes and trolls on social media but I never expected such from you.

“If my good friend and brother, the late Waziri Mohammed, who I knew to be very close to your older brother, Muftau, and your family generally, saw what you were doing and heard what you were saying today about other people’s wives and children all in the name of politics, he would surely have been ashamed of your new low.

“Needless to say each of my children have had the very best of education at the best foreign universities, like their father and forefathers before them, unlike you and yours.

“And they didn’t just go there for their Masters degree like most of your ilk: they went there for their first and second degrees and also went to the best foreign and Nigerian private schools before University, just as their younger siblings are doing today.

“You see, unlike you, regardless of what I do or say I have a good heritage and a great legacy. And as each day passes it gets stronger and stronger, regardless of your insults.

“Unlike you, I do not need to build a second rate university or run for public office to be a household name. And it is MY name they call (FFK) or (Sadauki) and not just my fathers.”