The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has said he will only participate in presidential debates ahead of the 2027 general elections if President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are also represented.
Atiku accused the APC-led administration of using debate platforms to set opposition candidates against one another while avoiding scrutiny from Nigerians.
His position was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by his campaign spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo.
Okonkwo described the practice of organising presidential debates involving only opposition candidates as unacceptable, arguing that political contests should ordinarily involve the ruling party and opposition parties.
“Political contest worldwide has always been between the ruling party and the opposition parties,” Okonkwo stated.
“The situation in Nigeria today in which presidential debates are organised among the opposition parties only is therefore untenable. This has become a strategy that the failed, incompetent, and corrupt APC government under Tinubu has been using to further instigate the opposition to attack each other while shielding itself from scrutiny by the Nigerian people.”
He said Atiku would no longer participate in televised debates that exclude Tinubu and the APC.
“HE Atiku Abubakar, as the leader of the coalition of opposition parties and leaders, is left with no other choice than to make his appearance in any presidential debates conditional on the participation of President Bola Tinubu and the APC,” he added. “There is no hiding place for APC in 2027.”
According to Okonkwo, Atiku remains willing to engage Nigerians through other platforms, including interviews, town hall meetings and press conferences.
“HE Atiku Abubakar is willing to engage the Nigerian people through interviews, townhall meetings, press conferences, and any other forum of interaction with the people but will not participate in any arrangement that will pit the opposition against itself and give undue advantage to APC,” the statement read.
The campaign also challenged Tinubu to a national presidential debate where both the ruling party and opposition could present their policies and plans to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 election.
“HE Atiku Abubakar, therefore, challenges President Bola Tinubu to a national presidential debate which will provide an opportunity for both the ruling party and the opposition parties to address Nigerians on their policies and ways to achieve those policies so that Nigerians can make an informed choice for the 2027 elections,” Okonkwo concluded.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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