The presidential candidate of the United Progressives Party, UPP, Chekwas Okorie, has pleaded with his All Progressives Congress counterpart, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to reconsider his decision not to attend the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria-organized presidential debate.
The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation had announced Thursday that its candidate would not participate in the debate organized by the BON because most of its members are sympathetic to PDP’s cause.
The presidential debate has been slated for February 8, 2015 from 7-9P.M and will be aired live on AIT, NTA, TV Continental and Silverbird TV.
However, faulting Mr. Buhari’s decision to shun the debate, which saw him paired with the presidential candidates of the APC, PDP (Goodluck Jonathan) and KOWA (Comfort Oluremi Sonaiya), Mr. Okorie in a statement Friday said: “The news that the APC presidential candidate, General Buhari, will not participate in the scheduled debates is a great disappointment”.
The UPP presidential candidate said he was looking forward to the debate because “the match-up was consistent with independent poling around the country that identified President Jonathan’s PDP, General Buhari’s APC, and Chief Okorie’s UPP as the three most serious contenders in the highly anticipated general elections to choose Nigeria’s next president for a four-year term”.
He, therefore, said he did not find the rationale given by the APC for withdrawing from the debates convincing.
“My Vice Presidential candidate, Barrister Bello Umar (SAN) and I are ready for the debates. I urge my compatriot, General Buhari, to reject his advisors’ voices and show up for the debates. That is what the nation and the international community expect of him”, Mr. Okorie added.
by Greenstarnetwork admin..
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