The spokesperson for the presidential campaign council of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dino Melaye, has said that he deserves an apology from the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, after their encounter at the town hall meeting in Abuja on Sunday.
Obi had snapped at Melaye on Sunday for picking on him. However, in a video shared on his Twitter handle on Monday, Melaye said that he was the victim, who was picked on by the presidential candidate.
He said, “Fellow countrymen and women, I am doing this video just to clarify the outburst by Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party yesterday. It was not provoked, I was sitting far opposite the top seat where they were sitting. I didn’t mention his name and I was really surprised to see that type of outburst from a presidential candidate. Is that the type of president he is going to make? Just taking on people and showing unpresidential characteristics?
“The way he acted yesterday was very very… he rather called me out, because there was no way…I didn’t do anything. I didn’t call his name, I mean, where I was sitting, there is nothing I would have said that Obi would’ve heard and there was nothing, I didn’t do anything. So that outburst is unwarranted, very unpresidential, unacceptable of a leader, a leader must be matured, one who wants to govern this country must be accommodating, must have a lot of patience, must have perseverance. These are basic characteristics of leadership anywhere in the world. You want to be president of Nigeria and you are reacting in such a manner in public? This one go slap ADC for office (sic) as president.
“So I want to clear the air, that I didn’t do anything to him. He was so provoked and so carried away by the performance of Okowa, Governor Okowa, that he was saying that somebody outside is from ANPP. Does that make any sense? Is there any party like ANPP in Nigeria today? ANPP collapsed in 2014, when they all amalgamated and merged together to form APC. But he was so disorganised, so disoriented that he was saying that the person out there is from ANNP. Is there any party Iike ANPP in Nigeria today? Next time when you want to go for a debate, be as calm as Governor Okowa, be as calm as the PDP vice presidential candidate but that was very unpresidential and I deserve a serious apology. Thank you very much.”