The Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF), in partnership with CNBC Africa, Forbes Africa and BusinessDay, will host the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the two frontline political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to live debates on Sunday 8th February, five days to the elections.
Tagged 2015 Presidential Election Dialogue, the debates will feature Architect Namadi Sambo, PDP’s Vice Presidential candidate and his APC counterpart, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN in the first leg, while the second leg willl feature PDP’s Dr Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR and APC’s Major General (Rtd) Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.
The dialogue is scheduled to hold in Abuja.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Mrs. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, the debates have been expressly designed to elevate the level of political discourse in the country, enhance participatory democracy as well as re-focus attention on national growth and development during this election period.
“We believe at this point in time that our people should focus more on issues-based election and critically scrutinise potential leaders before making up their minds on who they will vote for,” Oyebode said.
“We, along with our partners see this debate as a platform for the candidates to present their programmes so the electorate would make their choice on whom to vote for in the elections
“The need for a debate is non-negotiable given that the development of democracy in Nigeria has increased voter sophistication.”
Commenting on its partnership with the Foundation on the Nigeria Pre-Election Debates 2015, Frederic Van de Vyver, the Executive Director of CNBC West Africa, said that the debates will attempt to address the major economic issues facing Nigeria.
“We look forward to conducting a robust debate on the major economic and business issues facing Africa’s largest economy on the eve of one of the most important election since the end of military rule in 1999.”
During the debates, the candidates will be asked to outline their general vision and development agenda for Nigeria on six thematic areas of education, health, security, job creation, economy, governance, the rule of law and foreign policy.
The debates will provide opportunity for candidates to spend quality time with potential voters, as well as offer them a collegial, conducive and credible platform to showcase their agenda for national development.
MMF’s announcement is coming just a day after APC’s candidate, Buhari pulled out of the debates organised by the Broadcast Organisation of Nigeria (BON).
He had made his position about the BON-organised debate clear through Garba Shehu, the director of media and publicity of the APC presidential campaign organisation, saying it was due to unhidden bias and campaign of calumny by some key organisers of the programme, against the corporate political interest of the party (APC) and its candidates.
He had argued that the debate which is powered by the Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG) was perforated with fundamental errors from the outset, by wearing the toga of government control, especially being composed mainly of agencies and allies of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration.
“A salutary inspection of the composition of NEGD brings into focus the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), National Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Africa Independent Television (AIT, owned by a PDP chieftain),” Shehu had said.
He begged Nigerians not to see his withdrawal from the debates as disrespect for them, neither should they regard it as if he was dodging public scrutiny, but to view it as an honourable right not to consent to any activity that could distract, demean, denigrate or derail the fast-moving train of the party.
