If truly the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate Muhammadu Buhari is shying away from a debate, here comes an opportunity he will not have any justifiable reasons to spun.
The Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) is offeria that opportunity as it is putting together a debate for the presidential candidates on February 03, as part of the build-up to the February 14 election. APC had on Friday said it would not participate in the debate planned by the Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG) on fear that the. group would be biased against its candidate.
PDP is countering that the APC is afraid of debate because it fears that it’s candidate would be candidate of sustaining an itelectual exercise such as a debate of the kind being put forward.
The debate, initiated by and ARISE Television and Channels, and THISDAY and Guardian Newspapers Limited on behalf the Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), is scheduled to hold at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
An indication that Tuesday’s debate will not suffer the fate of the BON-organised version has been bolstered by the acceptance of the invite through a letter by Jonathan/Sambo 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation, while General Buhari Campaign Organisation has indicated his intention to participate in principle.
In a letter dated January 14, 2015, to the organisers of the debate, Senator Ahmadu Ali, Director General of the Jonathan/Sambo 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation, said the President “has accepted to participate in the debate.”
No official letter has been received from the General Buhari Campaign Organisation as at press time, but it has indicated its intention to participate in this debate in principle.
In the letter dated January 11, 2015 to both candidates and delivered the same day, the organisers had noted that “too many of the troubles we now face stem from governance: decisions made behind closed doors, regulations removed when no one was looking, or reckless actions and impunity across the polity.”
The letter also reads: “Our nation is strongest when our elected leaders are accessible and accountable to its citizens, explaining decisions and answering tough questions. That standard of openness and transparency must start long before Election Day on February 14, 2015.”
The footage of the debate, which is expected to be watched by civil society groups and youth groups among other stakeholders, will be made available live to all broadcast stations and will also be available on the social media: Twitter, Facebook and Google. Attendance at the debate will be strictly by invitation.
