The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it would have been demeaning for its presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, to stand on the same podium with his main rival in next month general elections, former vice president and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for a public debate.
Tribune Online checks revealed that the former vice-president who was at the venue of the presidential debate held at Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja at the weekend took his exit when there was no signal that President Buhari would show up.
Those who participated in the the debates, organised by the Nigerian Election Debate Group, (NEDG) were of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Oby Ezekwesili; Alliance for New Nigeria, Fela Durotoye; and the Young Progressives Party, Kingsley Moghalu.
But addressing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC said it would have been an insult for President Buhari to be dragged in a debate with Alhaji Abubakar and the other presidential candidates.
Mallam Onilu declared that “debate may be important to people who are seeking power, not for somebody who has a lot speaking for him already.”
He declared that President Buhari would on his own terms choose the platforms to use to sell his candidacy to Nigerians.
He said: “The president doesn’t have to give any reason at all for not attending that debate. Let me reiterate as I have said earlier that the debate is just one of several platforms available to our candidate to engage with the public. We can’t exhaust all the platforms. So, we pick the platforms that are most impactful and we are the one to determine which platform to use!
“Debate with who? What an insult! For the president to come and debate with who? The debate the president is having is what he did that morning in Niger state. The people of Niger State can look up to a brighter future. The people of this country, everywhere they go can see development, they can see projects going on.
“So, these are the debates that the president is already engaging with the public. So, that particular debate may be important to people who are seeking power, not for somebody who has a lot speaking for him already.
ALSO READ: BREAKING: Presidential debate: Atiku walks out, blames action on Buhari’s absence
“So, for us in APC, debate as fantastic an idea as it is, it is just one of the several options for our candidate to engage with the public. There are many platforms we have used and many we are still going to use, there are many that we may not use. .It is just up to us to pick and chose the platform that will serve our best interest.
“We aren’t in the same class with Atiku and PDP. To come and share the same stage with people who ruined this country? To talk about what? The same people who started several projects and it became conduit pipe for them to steal money?”
Onilu further alleged that the PDP presidential candidate was not interested in any debate but wanted to use the platform to pour invectives on President Buhari.
“The original objective of the people who put the debate in place is to ensure that you come and discuss your policies and programmes and you also point out the weakness or you puncture the policies and programmes of your opponent, not to attack the person. It is also very disappointing and a display of arrogance for Atiku to think that the other aspirants who were at the debate yesterday didn’t matter.
“It was only President Muhammadu Buhari that matters. And we thought that even if that was the case, he should be about the policies of the president and not seeing the President there should have given him the opportunity to tear those policies and programmes to pieces
“It wasn’t a good thing for the president earlier that day to have commissioned Baro port in Niger State which for 16 years of PDP was just a pipe dream. He should have come to tell us that wasn’t good enough.
“Of course, he wasn’t going to discuss policies and programmes with the president, he was going to attack the president.
Atiku is the face of the dark era that this country has witnessed, he personifies that era and all with him are going to be consigned to the dust bin of history. “
Please, allow Buhari to go back to Daura to take care of his physical and mental health stop stressing this old man for your selfish gains.
They are just stupid.
Buhari winning this election is not about if…it’s about margin. The stats favor him from number of registered voters in the 6 Geo-political zones.
For majority, it’s about TRUST and Atiku is no match for Buhari.
Buhari with pride,it wasn’t an Insult when Buhari collected 5billion from Atiku for campaign in 2015,it wasn’t an insult when Buhari was flying Atiku private jet for campaign, Now it is an Insult for Buhari to debate with Atiku,criminal Buhari.
Buhari can’t face debate because is going to be face with intelligent questions
How can Integrity Personified debate with Corruption Personified? Light and darkness go their different way.
Buhari can’t debate….it would be trending online now
Why, but it was not demeaning for him to collect his money. Foolish people.
APC deny us a world-class comedy. Just imagine how Buhari would have forgotten the topic of the debate and go solo like he did the other day.
Please Buharideens you need to go into hiding. You’re still talking.
Hate speech
Do u mean livestock to debate with almighty Atiku…
Chei ! FAILURE SUPPORTERS can’t you see the hand writing on the wall????
When I read that PMB shunned the Presidential debate I was extremely happy and excited. It proves beyond doubt that PMB has really learnt a good lesson from his previous appearances in presidential debates. It will also increase the wailing factors of the PDP. They need to be paid back in their own coins.
Since return of democracy in 1999, the PDP has boycotted SIX presidential debates despite PMB and other aspirants honouring it. I wanted to sit back and laugh at PDP supporters wailing, lamenting bitterly and gnashing their teeth in ‘sifia pains’ over Buhari’s absence because they desperately need his presence to dignify their candidate on the podium of discussion, just the way He needed their candidates in past debates and they ensured they deprived him of it. God bless those who advised Buhari to make the PDP have a taste of the bitterness of their own pill!
1999
Olufalae showed up for debate
PDP candidate OBJ, sure of victory, didn’t come
PDP won
2003
#Buhari showed up for debate
PDP candidate OBJ, sure of victory, didn’t come
PDP won
2007
#Buhari showed up for debate
PDP Y’Adua,sure of victory, didn’t come
PDP won
2011
#Buhari Showed up for debate
PDP Jonathan, sure of victory, didn’t come
PDP won
2015 #Buhari, sure of victory
PDP ,Facing defeat, begging for debate
Buhari didn’t come
APC won
2019 #Buhari, sure of victory
PDP , facing defeat, begging for debate
Buhari didn’t come
APC will win
Buhari has participated in presidential debates for THREE consecutive election seasons.
PDP has NEVER participated in any presidential elections before. Who is afraid of debates?
Buhari lost elections despite participating in debates THREE times. Debate doesn’t determine voting outcome in Nigeria of today and that is why the PDP has NEVER participated in any and still won elections. That’s why Buhari won when He stopped participating in it.
Buhari has used his participation in three debates to discover Nigerian electorates are not moved by debates, they are moved by Popularity of the candidates among them. Buhari has therefore worked on his popularity and again coasting home to victory next month.
Let the PDP also do debates for three political seasons to discover what moves Nigerian electorates. Unfortunately, they have lost it this year. They need the next 16 years to get opportunity for another three debates since they have failed to learn from Buhari’s experience. In other words, PMB is 16 years ahead of them in the knowledge of the political reality of Nigeria today.
PDP candidate gave a rather ridiculous excuse for not participating. He said it is not ‘Candidacy debate’, it’s ‘Presidential debate’ and therefore He won’t debate without the President being there! Lol… He should be told the implied meaning of Presidential debate is ‘Presidential Candidates debate’. What happens in situation where the incumbent is not contesting and all candidates are fresh? Does that change the name from Presidential debate to another thing? Lol…
In those three occasions where Buhari participated and the PDP failed to show up, the organisers never changed it to ‘Candidacy debates’ because they weren’t grammatically disoriented! The PDP also failed to realise that Presidential debate is meant for candidates to sell their programmes to their audience and not to the incumbent president lol…
This is the first time in Nigeria’s Political history that PDP could have participated in a presidential debate, yet they gave such a frivolous excuse that Buhari didn’t come. What about those three occasions He came while you still absconded despite being in power?
Atiku needs the presidential debate far more than Buhari now. Buhari doesn’t need it to win. Atiku needs it more except the PDP is afraid of Oby Ezekwezili that has been looking for a close avenue to strip them of the remnants of their past glory.
To Atikulooters who might want to say PMB is running away from debate, first tell us why your party has never honoured any debate in the past and only desperate to debate only PMB now. Look at the scorecard below:
Buhari in debate = 3/5
PDP in debate = 0/6
We then ask, Who is afraid of debates?
#COPIED#..
Next level something.
Dreams are a times hard to understand. Reality is near. My problem is when our youth wants to pick up employment, you will see huge requirement attached to job that barely fetch 30k monthly; with all manner of oral and written interviews. But the position of the president comes with little requirement. A company driver will be asked to present an ond result why some presidential candidate’s barely remember their primary school’s name.
Kolawole,dnt blame him he does not want 30k npower alawee to stop by feb,take it or leave it shall end by may by God’s grace
Obasanjo is suffering from dementia it deserves our pity.
Did I hear you say integrity personified?
Atiku is a thief. He has no integrity. Saraki’s body guard
the old man is not aware of the debate and don’t understand the kind of technology they want to for the debate
Lies, because atiku is far more educated more intelligent, understand issues than buhari, if not that buhari joined army unmerited he will be the founder of boko haram or one of their senior commanders.
Oyeniyi Akinloye Ishola Gods grace does not cover sentiment , if 30k Npower alawee stops in Feb it’s the poor that will loose .The incoming pillaging marauders will cart away in hundreds of million .
Chibunna Which handwriting? The one written in Latin or the sentiment that has clouded your sense of reasoning.
Debate without meaning is a meaningless and baseless, to have such a meaningless debate at the moment like this is a waste and time is very important asset to manage challenges of Nigeria, I must to commend Mr President for shunning the so called political get together.
Because he has nothing to offer, it would have been another disaster
A dull president
Africans and Nigeria in particular will never stop to amaze me…..suffering and smiling. This our leaders really dealt with the citizens with poverty and illiteracy.
Atiku had to reduce himself to saraki’s personal aide, so that he could be covered by diplomatic immunity. He was an aide to saraki who was visiting officially. Let Atiku go tomorrow morning alone and the truth Will be out.
The dementia sufferer president Mohammadu Buhari can’t debate with Atiku the next president of Nigeria
We don’t need a president who can’t explain or express himself
Look what happened on NTA town hall meeting with his vice? Look at what happened in Warri, the president was introducing a gubernatorial candidate as APC presidential candidate of which himself is a candidate and despite being corrected he still making blunders and fooling himself
Presidential, senatorial,governitorial????chai#Buhari#
Joshua Oluwasegun Isreal
Presidential, senatorial,governitorial????chai#Buhari#
Bode Sanwo
Presidential, senatorial,governitorial????chai#Buhari#
Abubakar A. Alhassan
Presidential, senatorial,governitorial????chai#Buhari#
Vic Omo
Presidential, senatorial,governitorial????chai#Buhari#
Dementia president
Vote him out
Vote poverty inventor out
Vote economic mismanagement out
Vote a clueless president out
Vote a corrupt APC out
Vote killers out
The APC know that Buhari will disgrace them that’s why he is shy away from debate (Buhari go fall apc hand person wey no pass waec how he wants take speak good English wetin he wants talk about economy )that man is a disgrace to this country I don’t think he can spell is full name
Daniel Ememere I will not enrich my family but I’ll enrich my friends by selling NNPC.
Celestine Chinedu Okoro you didn’t hear, u read.
Na wa oooo Nigerians Why….this APC Government is a pure scam oooo..My people wake up.
Bode Sanwo You get sense at all?
Daniel Ememere Buhari remain the only option for Nigeria.
???Hmmm It is obvious that ATIKU is looking for any means possible to repair ATIKU’s tarnished and battered image. If not why all the noise about the DEBATE. I remember OBJ that is now the megaphone of ATIKU turned down all opportunities for a debate when he was President.
Mon Mon or moi moi this forum is not for pampers kids. State your case, if u want to abuse pick your family elders picture and pee on them.
Yeye party,the worst thing that ever happened in naija political landscape
u people apc are really i mean real clueless anybody that vote for u is mad
Who is BUHARI? A man without certificates. A cattle rearer whose herd of cows remained at 150 for over a decade. That is, a total failure in business. A man so weak mentally that he didn’t know when he was sworn into office. Oh Nigerians, who bewitched us to vote this man into office?
Sai baba buhari
Atiku is a hypocrite he has 100% chance to prove himself last night but unfortunately he fool himself leaving the premises all because buhari did not turn up. Did he want to fight buhari?
Shut up there,wetin be sai BUHARI
If Atiku is 100% hypocrite, what can you say about BUHARI?
Celestine Chinedu Okoro Google halliburton scandal you will know who your Atiku is.
Debating with Atiku or to tell Nigerians what they have for us? This people are not leaders, they are all competetors, they dont know the reason and meaning of debating. All their target is to distroy themselfs with the word of their mouth. Even Atiku arived the venue but decided not to show up, just because Buhari did not come. Definitly he was not there to speaks to us, he was their to tackle Buhari. We have no leaders, but we have rivals.
Buhari has no single project or achievement
, except commissioning of an already
commissioned projects, lies and propaganda
, rigging of elections, nepotism
, gross insensitivity and insecurity,
injustice, impunity and incompetence.
Nigerians must vote out Buhari in 2019.
Ignorance is a serious problem in Nigeria. Because Facebook is free every Tom dick and harry now want to comment on national issues. Na waooo. You need to go to school please
Well said, he was not there to speaks to us, he was there to takle Buhari, if not he won’t do that. But can you tell us the percentage of Buharis idea? Or what hinder him to come? They are bird of the same feder.
Onoah oko, why are you comenting on facebook? Or are you on twitter here? We are ignorant thatnk you.
Will you shut up… Buhari with his coconut head
Let’s then talk about our missing $2.8b that got missing under his watch in 1978?? Nobody nor get coma.
Flattering buhari- what level is buhari
Your candidate is not mentally and physically fit to pilot Nigeria. So I don’t understand the sakara o.
Stupid people. Dirty politicians. I know you all can feel the #Wind of Change in Nigeria ??.
The supporters of the tyranny in Nigeria has spoken.
Who says such idiotic thing in a Democratic administration?
I can now confirm that the so called Mallam Lanre Isa Oniru is a Capital mistake a monumental error and a foundational miscalculation. Am not surprised that the statements come from a brain drain with much repitations due to lack of what to say. Am not also surprised that Mr President absented himself from the presidential debate, what has he to tell Nigerians when he finds it extremely difficult to grab questions, when you ask about corruption and he calls for evidence and you of his action plan to end Farmers /Herdsmen clash and gives you how they are tracing the road through which came in. I support his absence from the debate after the show of shame of Wednesday night. Nigerians please bear with him to avoid further disgrace but the WORLD IS ACTUALLY WATCHING.
Saint James unfortunately, you are politically naive. Atiku is a smart politician and what he took was a well articulated smart move.
Yes keh,for Mr President to have debate with am aid to Senate President, that’s an insult!!!
Get your PVC and vote Omoyele Sowore for president. #takeitback #SOWORE2019 #SoworeRufai #AAC
Yes. I absolutely agree.
Saint James you are 100% wrong! Atiku did the wisest thing any diehard politician would have done! Buhari is an irresponsible dictator who has long lost his grip of his government! Even a 15 years old is better informed in the government of the day than your so call president. I don’t understand why Nigerians are so hypnotized that knowledgeable graduates are now been ruled by cow-like beings!until the youths come to their senses and take their destinies in their hands poverty will remain imminent.
It’s obvious Buhari has an empty brain & has got nothing to say except corruftion, I Will fight corruftion while he’s the most greedy, most corrupt leader within the African continent