The Fuss About Presidential Debate

Before the general elections were shifted from 14 February to 28 March and 11 April, there was so much fuss about the refusal of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, to participate in a debate with the incumbent President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Goodluck Jonathan. One of the reasons for Buhari’s refusal was that the organisers were clearly compromised.

Rather than allow the issue lie low, PDP and its spokesmen chose to blow it out of proportion. But the same PDP lackeys didn’t see anything wrong with Jonathan avoiding the same Presidential debate with Buhari in 2011. It would amount to dignifying the organisers of the debate, whose media outfits have been airing hate documentaries on Buhari, for him to honour their invitation.

The Nigeria Elections Debate Group, in collaboration with Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, BON, organisers of the Presidential election debate do not see anything wrong with the attack on Buhari by TV stations. We believe, as many do, that they have lost their credibility by failing to call BON members to order. They have allowed the broadcast media, especially TV stations, to air inflammatory and hate documentaries directed at Buhari. One of the TV station owners remorselessly justified airing the hate campaign documentaries the other day. He did not care about the possibility of the negative consequences the station may face in the court of public opinion for airing such hate videos.

Buhari’s minders are right by asking him to stay away from the debate. After all, what purpose will a debate organised by his enemies serve that has not been taken care of through political rallies and town hall meetings? Town hall meetings in particular, are more interactive and engaging as the presidential candidates unfurl their programmes before several groups of people belonging to various socio-political and economic strata of the society.