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Why Buhari Refuses To Debate With Jonathan – Abati

Published

10 years ago

March 8, 2015

The Presidency alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), refuses to debate because he is scared.
Punch recalls that the opposition rebuffed all the efforts to get Buhari to debate with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Goodluck Jonathan.
While the APC explained that they doubted the fairness of the process and thus did not want to join the orchestrated debates, the acting authorities said their opponents were simply scared.
The recent statement by Reuben Abati, Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, reads:
“The man to blame for this denial is General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress. Getting him to debate the incumbent, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has been an uphill task.
“To say that the man is scared, practically running away from an opportunity to debate his ideas against the incumbent’s, is to be charitable. He doesn’t want it. Every effort to get him to the podium has been rebuffed by him and his handlers.”
Abati noted that Jonathan had accepted the invitations to 2 debates, adding that “Buhari was not interested” in any.
The official stressed the importance of debates conduct for strengthening democracy in the country. Nigerians should have a chance to see the main contenders sharing their opinions face-t0-face.
Abati narrated that first Buhari allegedly rejected a Sunday debate, saying he does not work by Sundays, then he purportedly refused to participate on Monday. After this both parties were said to have agreed on Tuesday, according to Abati, but…
“Two days to this debate that would have been, I received non-stop frantic calls from the troika of Momoh, Izeze and Obaigbena. There had been a development, they said. The fresh development was that they had met that same evening with General Buhari and he did not agree anymore to a debate with President Jonathan.
“Rather, he wanted a town hall meeting, in which he would be the sole participant. Another town hall meeting could be organised the same day for President Jonathan and both could be aired back to back. That was his request and wish. Momoh and co wanted the President to agree to this.”
In one of the recent developments Femi Fani-Kayode, Director of PDP’s campaign organizations, also blasted the APC presidential candidate saying that Buhari ddid not want to participate in debates because he is not equal to Jonathan.