Maintenance Technician reported prior to relocating the aircraft; the tug operator indicated a tug error message which resulted in technician rejecting the move. The technician chose to follow training and displayed safety first; over management challenges.

Narrative

Assigned a move for Aircraft X equipment from Gate X to Hanger. After preparing the aircraft for tow my driver reported error message on the screen. After the report I retreated from my position to walk the aircraft out to discuss and plan with driver next course of action... Walking from vehicle service road back to the nose of the aircraft I chocked the main aircraft right and heard management or dispatch reassign our destination from hanger to Gate Y to make way for an aircraft holding for the gate and to reassign it to another crew. Speaking with my driver and the other crew already being dispatched to Gate Y a short distance away my driver was pointing out the error message on the screen which I am not familiar with. Out of caution I told my driver that I did not want to proceed with the move. We informed dispatch we were standing down and resecuring aircraft for the next team to pick up the aircraft was already prepared... A lot of the radio chatter was difficult to hear but management was advising autoshop was notified and we were asked to move the aircraft to make way for the arrival. I had to call out [stop and review the situation] and that I was refusing to participate in the move in the interest of safety. My driver agreed and we prepped the aircraft for the next team in an attempt to expedite the move. After reporting that we would not move the aircraft management questioned our inability to move several gates over to make way for the inbound. Unable to explain due to radio traffic and preparation of the aircraft for the next team that it is far safer to not move the aircraft with equipment not functioning properly before the tow has started. Had the malfunction occurred under tow the suggestion may have been good to go to another gate.After the move was performed by the other team while transiting to the autoshop for evaluation our equipment died abeam the mobile lounge (huge people movers) dock... we had to call ditching on Gate Z. Though [our tug] died in a high traffic dangerous area the results could have been much worse had we performed the move as managements was pushing. This also sets up a bad precedent to the employee doing on the job training. It must be known and supported that any question of safety should take precedent of all arrivals tows etc.