Why Datti Can’t Accept Soyinka’s Debate Challenge – Obi/Datti Media Team

According to the Obi/Datti media team, vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, will not accept Prof. Wole Soyinka’s challenge to a debate.
After the backlash that accompanied his rejection of the LP Vice Presidential candidate’s recent criticism of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, the judiciary, and Nigeria’s democracy, Soyinka had challenged Baba-Ahmed to a public discussion.
In an essay titled “Fascism on Course,” Soyinka also addressed the criticism he was receiving from Obidients, followers of Peter Obi, and claimed that the seeds of fascism had clearly matured in the political sphere.
In response to this, the Obi/Datti media team in a statement at the weekend, said Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed cannot take up Prof. Soyinka’s offer of a public debate, not out of cowardice, but for cultural and political reasons.
It said: “Culturally it’s just not decent, their age and accomplishment gaps taken into account, for Datti to sit opposite the 88 year-old global icon and point out his folly to his face, even if the old man called for it.”
The team also said that politically, there was no basis for such a challenge in that the Prof. is not on any of the opposite ballots
It further regretted that “One of those who should ordinarily and rightfully be honoured as the conscience of the nation, Prof. Soyinka is now criminalising dissent and in fact weighing in on the side of fraud and injustice.
The campaign team, though, said: “If however he can use his influence to drag his preferred candidates, who resisted debates throughout the campaign, to the studio this second, Datti says he is more than willing to take them on.”