The Presidency has accused the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, General Muhammadu Buhari of avoiding a debate with his Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Presidency alleged that Buhari and his campaign organisation had rebuffed all efforts to get him to debate with President Jonathan.

The Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, made the allegation in a piece sent to SUNDAY PUNCH entitled ‘We challenge Buhari to a debate,’

Abati said, “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.”

He said while Jonathan accepted invitations to two presidential debates before the elections were rescheduled, “Buhari was not interested” in any of them.

The presidential spokesperson noted that every Nigerian would love to see the PDP and APC presidential candidates in a debate, being the main contenders in the election. According to him, that would be good for our democracy.

Abati recalled that the first group that approached Jonathan was represented by John Momoh of Channels TV; Emeka Izeze of The Guardian, and Nduka Obaigbena of ThisDay, Arise TV and the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria.

He said while the Presidency agreed to any Sunday, Buhari allegedly rejected a Sunday because “he does not work on Sundays.”

Abati further said the APC candidate also rejected a Monday offer. He added that both parties later agreed to a Tuesday.

“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,” he said.

Abati said the Nigeria Elections Debate Group was the second group to invite the candidates to a debate.

The presidential spokesperson added, “The Buhari camp, again, rejected this invitation on the grounds that the media houses involved were pro-government and therefore partisan.

The Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Garba Shehu, however, argued that the PDP had always rejected debate offers by Buhari to the candidates of the ruling party in previous elections.

He queried why the PDP-led presidency did not cry foul when former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the late ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua and the incumbent rejected the APC presidential candidate’s offer to engage them in debates during the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections.

Shehu asked, “Was it alright when it happened in 2003, 2007 and 2011? If it (rejection) was right then, what makes it wrong now?


http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-scared-of-debate-with-jonathan-presidency/

Buhari is doing GEJ a favour. He doesn't want to accept the invitation to the debate so as not to go and disgrace GEJ!

Who want to waste his time to debate a failure? If Jonathan six years record in office is not visible enough to win him the love of majorities of Nigeria, why should anybody think that there is any magic he can perform within 2hrs of debate with Buhari to gain back his lost glory?

I don tire for this politics o...
New day, new drama.
28th please come quick let me rest.

The drama continues.

PDP should please sing another song.

LFJ:
Who want to waste his time to debate a failure? If Jonathan six years record in office is not visible enough to win him the love of majorities of Nigeria, why should anybody think that there is any magic he can perform within 2hrs of debate with Buhari to gain back his lost glory?

Please face the fact, Buhari is afraid of being pounded by Jonathan with facts. His two biggest campaign materials, boko haram and Corruption has been rubbish by the presidency. Tinubu, his number one sponsor is more corrupt than MOBUTU SESE SEKO, boko haram is already defeated.

As if Jona sef get oratorical strength.

GMB delivers his speech in a better and more confident way than Jona.

GEJ delivers speech as if there is hot yam in his mouth.

You cannot hire hordes of low lives to hurl insults at my person, my wife, my family and what I represent and still expect me to be doing a debate with you.

Of course, i'll just leave you and your gang to continue wallowing in your ignorance and hate, and will take my message directly to the electorate. Simple

Na debate we go chop? Jonathan disappeared from debating with Buhari last election. Jonathan is never a debating match for Buhari. Intelligent wise, Jonathan is no way near Buhari. Buhari can't have time for a dullard like Jonathan. Just don't go their saTAN..

PhockPhockMan:
Please face the fact, Buhari is afraid of being pounded by Jonathan with facts. His two biggest campaign materials, boko haram and Corruption has been rubbish by the presidency. Tinubu, his number one sponsor is more corrupt than MOBUTU SESE SEKO, boko haram is already defeated.

PhockPhockMan, I laugh in Swahili

agabusta:
As if Jona sef get oratorical strength.

GMB delivers his speech in a better and more confident way than Jona.

GEJ delivers speech as if there is hot yam in his mouth.

You cannot hire hordes of low lives to hurl insults at my person, my wife, my family and what I represent and still expect me to be doing a debate with you.

Of course, i'll just leave you and your gang to continue wallowing in your ignorance and hate, and will take my message directly to the electorate. Simple

my name na mister taste and see
live buhari make he try and make he see
hapu Buhari ka o nwaa, ka ohu na anya

Buhari is not afraid of debating with GEJ and can never be too. We Nigerians know better. We know who among the two candidates that ran away in 2011 election debate. So we cannot be deceived again. Never again shall we be deceived by the PDP and their long lies

Who debates with failure abeg, it like calling a first class to come debate a Pass student

What warped thinking am I reading on this thread? I think it is illogical to read some posts. How can anyone posit that it makes no sense 'to debate with a failure'? And educated folks too are promoting such a fallacy? What are we doing with our brains this year people? Some of us have been waiting for that debate to decide who really may be the lesser of the devils and folks be spewing nonsense about no need for a debate.

Well I need the debate for both candidates to articulate, without fancy posters and jingles their administrative plans.
I want to see how true they can pretend to be to these words through their mannerisms and actions.
I also need a debate to see how personal space will be managed by both. My training teaches me a few things about how that matters and may reveal important details that all these noise and rallies hide.

I think it is unbelievable that youths will support a 'no debate' cause. What kind of nonsense is that? I remember re-tweeting ChannelsTV's message confirming the debates. I was sorely disappointed to learn that one of the candidates puled out. That, also says a lot about the candidate for those of us who are undecided.

Jonathan should first explain why he ran away from the 2011 presidential debate when he had that chance before pointing fingers at anybody.
Now Buhari does not have time to join issues with losers like him who only dwell on trivia not real issues - he can debate all by himself like he did with pre-prepared questions from the interviewing journalist in 2011.

No PDP Presidential candidate has submitted to a debate since 1999.

How do you expect GMB to engage in any debate organized by the same people who run a controversial documentary of him and his handlers on air ? Imagine raymond dokpesi among the organizers of the said debate.

Pdp should take their frustration elsewhere, they have every chance to win our hearts but failed woefully to fulfil all their promises.

Change is all we need.

Let channels organize debate for the presidency aspirants to see who may want to boycott the debate not the debate that one candidate will see the clue before the debate.

In 2011, when Buhari was available for presidential debate and the President failed to attend. Was it that GEJ was scared then?


PDPI.G, tell me another story jare.

...

Buhari must debate!

Bishop4bella:
Let channels organize debate for the presidency aspirants to see who may want to boycott the debate not the debate that one candidate will see the clue before the debate.

Who Organized the one Buhari ran away from?

There is really not a lot to learn in a debate between GEJ and GMB. The only reason it is important to have this debate is so that we begin to build a culture of democracy. Buhari is once again denying Nigeria's democracy the chance to grow stronger just because of political expedience!

But guess what, Buhari will soon beg to be part of this debate! If he gets disqualified by the courts he will seek opportunities to legitimise his candidacy until the Supreme Court has spoken and then at this point GEJ will not be interested as the President would not want to be found flouting court verdict

werehh, pdp wereh.

mikeansy:
There is really not a lot to learn in a debate between GEJ and GMB. The only reason it is important to have this debate is so that we begin to build a culture of democracy. Buhari is once again denying Nigeria's democracy the chance to grow stronger just because of political expedience!

But guess what, Buhari will soon beg to be part of this debate! If he gets disqualified by the courts he will seek opportunities to legitimise his candidacy until the Supreme Court has spoken and then at this point GEJ will not be interested as the President would not want to be found flouting court verdict

I believe you.