UNITED STATES (U.S.)-based Nigerians rose from a forum in New York at the weekend clamouring for electoral rules that will make debate mandatory among political office seekers in Nigeria.
At the 2011 presidential forum held under the auspices of the Nigeria Peoples Parliament in the Diaspora (NPPID) the U.S.-based Nigerians condemned the alleged lack of such debates among the presidential and other political candidates ahead of next month polls. The forum was attended by representatives of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau who answered questions from members of the parliament.
Although the group invited leading presidential candidates, including President Goodluck Jonathan, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, Prof. Pat Utomi and Chief Dele Momodu, only Shekarau honoured the invitation. The forum lamented that even the presidential campaigns are not issue-driven
The forum called for enforcement of public debate among presidential candidates and all others seeking election into public offices. It condemned a situation where a presidential candidate requests for debate questions in advance as allegedly done by President Jonathan campaign organisation, describing it as "shameful and scandalous."
According to the U.S.-based Nigerians, it is inexplicable that so far, there has not been any presidential debate ahead of elections coming up in a few weeks. They canvassed electoral law that will disqualify candidates who refuse to participate in debates and also impose fines to defray the cost of organising the debates. "Any candidate who refuses to participate in public debates should not be allowed to stand for election and should be made to pay the costs of organising the debates."
According to them, this measure is necessary to end the negative attitude of public office seekers to political debate that started since 1999 when former PDP presidential candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo refused to participate in debate with former AD/APP presidential candidate Chief Olu Falae, at the very last minute in Abuja.
Besides, the U.S. group asked for the establishment by statutes of an Independent National Debate Commission which will manage the conduct of public electoral debates in the country and educate the electorate and the parties on the need and the advantages of such exercises.
The Nigeria People's Parliament in Diaspora also condemned political parties for what they called primaries that were bought and those where no voting was done but candidates emerged."
Speaking at the meeting, the Acting Clerk of the Parliament, Mr. Bukola Oreofe said all the leading presidential candidates were duly invited with many of them promising to attend or send representatives, but they "bailed out at the last minutes."
Dr. Bala Mohammed who led the representatives of Shekarau, apologised that the Kano State governor, who had planned to personally attend the event, could not make it.
According to Mohammed, who is Shekarau Campaign Communications Director, "only Shekarau actually faced an electoral struggle in the primaries."
"Jonathan of PDP won the primaries as an incumbent, Buhari started his own party so he could easily emerge, and Ribadu was anointed by Tinubu," Mohammed observed.
He blasted the PDP and President Jonathan on the power sector reform, saying "for 12 years, PDP has achieved nothing for the Nigerian people."
Source: Nigerians in U.S. seek debate among office seekers (http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41567:nigerians-in-us-seek-debate-among-office-seekers&catid=1:national&Itemid=559)