President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has provided reasons for his absence at the presidential debate on Saturday.

President Buhari spoke through the Director of Strategic Communication of his campaign organization, Festus Keyamo, SAN.

It was earlier reported that President Buhari and the president candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, shunned the debate.

Giving his reasons in a statement on Saturday evening, Buhari said, “The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is also the APC Presidential Candidate in the forthcoming Presidential Election, President Muhammadu Buhari, could not attend the Presidential Debate organised by the Nigeria Election Debate Group and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria which held today, Saturday, January 19, 2019 for the following reasons BELOW"::

http://plusmilang.com/why-i-shunned-presidential-debate-buhari/

I have been silent about political discussions for close to a week now. I lost hope in it all for a reason I will write about tomorrow. I had wanted to shun political write-ups till after General elections. I was tempted to come back to it two days ago when Atiku's American visit trended. I struggled to remain silent. But when I read that PMB shunned the Presidential debate I was extremely happy and excited. It proves beyond doubt that PMB has really learnt a good lesson from his previous appearances in presidential debates. It will also increase the wailing factors of the PDP. They need to be paid back in their own coins.

Since return of democracy in 1999, the PDP has boycotted SIX presidential debates despite PMB and other aspirants honouring it. I wanted to sit back and laugh at PDP supporters wailing, lamenting bitterly and gnashing their teeth in 'sifia pains' over Buhari's absence because they desperately need his presence to dignify their candidate on the podium of discussion, just the way He needed their candidates in past debates and they ensured they deprived him of it. God bless those who advised Buhari to make the PDP have a taste of the bitterness of their own pill!

1999
Olufalae showed up for debate
PDP candidate OBJ, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2003
#Buhari showed up for debate
PDP candidate OBJ, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2007
#Buhari showed up for debate
PDP Y'Adua,sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2011
#Buhari Showed up for debate
PDP Jonathan, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2015 #Buhari, sure of victory
PDP ,Facing defeat, begging for debate
Buhari didn't come
APC won

2019 #Buhari, sure of victory
PDP , facing defeat, begging for debate
Buhari didn't come
APC will win

Buhari has participated in presidential debates for THREE consecutive election seasons.

PDP has NEVER participated in any presidential elections before. Who is afraid of debates?

Buhari lost elections despite participating in debates THREE times. Debate doesn't determine voting outcome in Nigeria of today and that is why the PDP has NEVER participated in any and still won elections. That's why Buhari won when He stopped participating in it.

Buhari has used his participation in three debates to discover Nigerian electorates are not moved by debates, they are moved by Popularity of the candidates among them. Buhari has therefore worked on his popularity and again coasting home to victory next month.

Let the PDP also do debates for three political seasons to discover what moves Nigerian electorates. Unfortunately, they have lost it this year. They need the next 16 years to get opportunity for another three debates since they have failed to learn from Buhari's experience. In other words, PMB is 16 years ahead of them in the knowledge of the political reality of Nigeria today.

PDP candidate gave a rather ridiculous excuse for not participating. He said it is not 'Candidacy debate', it's 'Presidential debate' and therefore He won't debate without the President being there! Lol... He should be told the implied meaning of Presidential debate is 'Presidential Candidates debate'. What happens in situation where the incumbent is not contesting and all candidates are fresh? Does that change the name from Presidential debate to another thing? Lol...

In those three occasions where Buhari participated and the PDP failed to show up, the organisers never changed it to 'Candidacy debates' because they weren't grammatically disoriented! The PDP also failed to realise that Presidential debate is meant for candidates to sell their programmes to their audience and not to the incumbent president lol...

This is the first time in Nigeria's Political history that PDP could have participated in a presidential debate, yet they gave such a frivolous excuse that Buhari didn't come. What about those three occasions He came while you still absconded despite being in power?

Atiku needs the presidential debate far more than Buhari now. Buhari doesn't need it to win. Atiku needs it more except the PDP is afraid of Oby Ezekwezili that has been looking for a close avenue to strip them of the remnants of their past glory.

To Atikulooters who might want to say PMB is running away from debate, first tell us why your party has never honoured any debate in the past and only desperate to debate only PMB now. Look at the scorecard below:

Buhari in debate = 3/5
PDP in debate = 0/6

We then ask, Who is afraid of debates? #copied

Muhammadu Buhari (SWT) has spoken.
Zombies, do the needful to back him up.

We all must join hands to fight bokoharam, but Army still dey shortlist candidate

But you were told long ago about the debate or are you trying to say it came unexpectedly.


Just tell us you dodged the debate cos you are suffering from dementia

slyng:
I have been silent about political discussions for close to a week now. I lost hope in it all for a reason I will write about tomorrow. I had wanted to shun political write-ups till after General elections. I was tempted to come back to it two days ago when Atiku's American visit trended. I struggled to remain silent. But when I read that PMB shunned the Presidential debate I was extremely happy and excited. It proves beyond doubt that PMB has really learnt a good lesson from his previous appearances in presidential debates. It will also increase the wailing factors of the PDP. They need to be paid back in their own coins.

Since return of democracy in 1999, the PDP has boycotted SIX presidential debates despite PMB and other aspirants honouring it. I wanted to sit back and laugh at PDP supporters wailing, lamenting bitterly and gnashing their teeth in 'sifia pains' over Buhari's absence because they desperately need his presence to dignify their candidate on the podium of discussion, just the way He needed their candidates in past debates and they ensured they deprived him of it. God bless those who advised Buhari to make the PDP have a taste of the bitterness of their own pill!

1999
Olufalae showed up for debate
PDP candidate OBJ, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2003
#Buhari showed up for debate
PDP candidate OBJ, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2007
#Buhari showed up for debate
PDP Y'Adua,sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2011
#Buhari Showed up for debate
PDP Jonathan, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2015 #Buhari, sure of victory
PDP ,Facing defeat, begging for debate
Buhari didn't come
APC won

2019 #Buhari, sure of victory
PDP , facing defeat, begging for debate
Buhari didn't come
APC will win

Buhari has participated in presidential debates for THREE consecutive election seasons.

PDP has NEVER participated in any presidential elections before. Who is afraid of debates?

Buhari lost elections despite participating in debates THREE times. Debate doesn't determine voting outcome in Nigeria of today and that is why the PDP has NEVER participated in any and still won elections. That's why Buhari won when He stopped participating in it.

Buhari has used his participation in three debates to discover Nigerian electorates are not moved by debates, they are moved by Popularity of the candidates among them. Buhari has therefore worked on his popularity and again coasting home to victory next month.

Let the PDP also do debates for three political seasons to discover what moves Nigerian electorates. Unfortunately, they have lost it this year. They need the next 16 years to get opportunity for another three debates since they have failed to learn from Buhari's experience. In other words, PMB is 16 years ahead of them in the knowledge of the political reality of Nigeria today.

PDP candidate gave a rather ridiculous excuse for not participating. He said it is not 'Candidacy debate', it's 'Presidential debate' and therefore He won't debate without the President being there! Lol... He should be told the implied meaning of Presidential debate is 'Presidential Candidates debate'. What happens in situation where the incumbent is not contesting and all candidates are fresh? Does that change the name from Presidential debate to another thing? Lol...

In those three occasions where Buhari participated and the PDP failed to show up, the organisers never changed it to 'Candidacy debates' because they weren't grammatically disoriented! The PDP also failed to realise that Presidential debate is meant for candidates to sell their programmes to their audience and not to the incumbent president lol...

This is the first time in Nigeria's Political history that PDP could have participated in a presidential debate, yet they gave such a frivolous excuse that Buhari didn't come. What about those three occasions He came while you still absconded despite being in power?

Atiku needs the presidential debate far more than Buhari now. Buhari doesn't need it to win. Atiku needs it more except the PDP is afraid of Oby Ezekwezili that has been looking for a close avenue to strip them of the remnants of their past glory.

To Atikulooters who might want to say PMB is running away from debate, first tell us why your party has never honoured any debate in the past and only desperate to debate only PMB now. Look at the scorecard below:

Buhari in debate = 3/5
PDP in debate = 0/6

We then ask, Who is afraid of debates? #copied

Oga from what you said PDP attended the 2015 debate so why did you make it 0/6

slyng:
I have been silent about political discussions for close to a week now. I lost hope in it all for a reason I will write about tomorrow. I had wanted to shun political write-ups till after General elections. I was tempted to come back to it two days ago when Atiku's American visit trended. I struggled to remain silent. But when I read that PMB shunned the Presidential debate I was extremely happy and excited. It proves beyond doubt that PMB has really learnt a good lesson from his previous appearances in presidential debates. It will also increase the wailing factors of the PDP. They need to be paid back in their own coins.

Since return of democracy in 1999, the PDP has boycotted SIX presidential debates despite PMB and other aspirants honouring it. I wanted to sit back and laugh at PDP supporters wailing, lamenting bitterly and gnashing their teeth in 'sifia pains' over Buhari's absence because they desperately need his presence to dignify their candidate on the podium of discussion, just the way He needed their candidates in past debates and they ensured they deprived him of it. God bless those who advised Buhari to make the PDP have a taste of the bitterness of their own pill!

1999
Olufalae showed up for debate
PDP candidate OBJ, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2003
#Buhari showed up for debate
PDP candidate OBJ, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2007
#Buhari showed up for debate
PDP Y'Adua,sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2011
#Buhari Showed up for debate
PDP Jonathan, sure of victory, didn't come
PDP won

2015 #Buhari, sure of victory
PDP ,Facing defeat, begging for debate
Buhari didn't come
APC won

2019 #Buhari, sure of victory
PDP , facing defeat, begging for debate
Buhari didn't come
APC will win

Buhari has participated in presidential debates for THREE consecutive election seasons.

PDP has NEVER participated in any presidential elections before. Who is afraid of debates?

Buhari lost elections despite participating in debates THREE times. Debate doesn't determine voting outcome in Nigeria of today and that is why the PDP has NEVER participated in any and still won elections. That's why Buhari won when He stopped participating in it.

Buhari has used his participation in three debates to discover Nigerian electorates are not moved by debates, they are moved by Popularity of the candidates among them. Buhari has therefore worked on his popularity and again coasting home to victory next month.

Let the PDP also do debates for three political seasons to discover what moves Nigerian electorates. Unfortunately, they have lost it this year. They need the next 16 years to get opportunity for another three debates since they have failed to learn from Buhari's experience. In other words, PMB is 16 years ahead of them in the knowledge of the political reality of Nigeria today.

PDP candidate gave a rather ridiculous excuse for not participating. He said it is not 'Candidacy debate', it's 'Presidential debate' and therefore He won't debate without the President being there! Lol... He should be told the implied meaning of Presidential debate is 'Presidential Candidates debate'. What happens in situation where the incumbent is not contesting and all candidates are fresh? Does that change the name from Presidential debate to another thing? Lol...

In those three occasions where Buhari participated and the PDP failed to show up, the organisers never changed it to 'Candidacy debates' because they weren't grammatically disoriented! The PDP also failed to realise that Presidential debate is meant for candidates to sell their programmes to their audience and not to the incumbent president lol...

This is the first time in Nigeria's Political history that PDP could have participated in a presidential debate, yet they gave such a frivolous excuse that Buhari didn't come. What about those three occasions He came while you still absconded despite being in power?

Atiku needs the presidential debate far more than Buhari now. Buhari doesn't need it to win. Atiku needs it more except the PDP is afraid of Oby Ezekwezili that has been looking for a close avenue to strip them of the remnants of their past glory.

To Atikulooters who might want to say PMB is running away from debate, first tell us why your party has never honoured any debate in the past and only desperate to debate only PMB now. Look at the scorecard below:

Buhari in debate = 3/5
PDP in debate = 0/6

We then ask, Who is afraid of debates? #copied

.