Read full news here:http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/178905-controversy-as-allegations-of-shady-deals-rock-nigeria-election-debate-group.html

The Nigeria Election Debate Group, NEDG, has organised presidential and vice presidential debates since 1999, but fresh claims have emerged questioning the independence and partisan nature of the group.
The debates, the final lap of the series of debates organised by the NEDG, is holding on March 22, according to the organisers.
But there have been allegations that the group is actually a one-man show run by Raymond Dokpesi, the Chairman of DAAR Communications Limited (owners of Africa Independent Television, AIT), who uses it as a bargaining tool for private gains and political advantage.
When it was incorporated in 2011, the NEDG listed six organisations as shareholders, each with a representative.
They include Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, BON, represented by Abubakar Aji; DAAR Communications, represented by Tony Akiotu; Nigeria Union of Journalists, represented by Mohammed Garba; Alliance for Credible Election represented by Emma Ezeazu; Nigeria Guild of Editors, represented by Gbenga Adefaye; and Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, represented by Moshood Erubami.
At a press conference on Friday in Lagos, a pressure group, Value and Integrity Group, accused Mr. Dokpesi of having turned the NEDG into a private estate put at the service of President Goodluck Jonathan and his Peoples Democratic Party.
“Our investigation reveals as follows: First, a First Bank account was opened for the NEDG and had Dr. Dokpesi as the sole signatory, though he is not listed as one of the Directors,” the group said in a statement signed by Sina Odugbemi and Popoola Ajayi, Coordinator and Secretary respectively.
“He also used the DAAR communications office address, a personal address as the address listed in the bank account documentation. These two moves effectively turned the NEDG into Dokpesi’s private company.”
According to the group, an initial N1 million was paid into the said NEDG account, and on March 28th, 2011, another N20 million was paid into his (Mr. Dokpesi’s) personal account.
“The N20m was paid into his personal current account number 2017171535 because the NEDG account opening was in process then hence he received the N20m in his personal current account instead of NEDG,” the group said.
“A text message from Dokpesi to the banker confirms this. The text message reads – ‘He sent about N20 million to the account since last week and I utilised about N50 million for the NEDG DEBATE. As soon as the sponsors pay, I will pay in.daar'”
The group, brandishing copies of Mr. Dokpesi’s bank account opening documents and NEDG’s certificate of registration at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), also said that Mr. Dokpesi tried to open another First Bank account in 2012.
“The First Bank account was opened by Dokpesi at the Maitama branch of the First Bank in Abuja with account number 2021069251 with Chief Raymond Dokpesi as sole signatory to the account with the help of his aide banker.
“The second account which Dokpesi equally instructed the banker to open in the Bwari branch of the First bank is pending to be opened because the banker left. However, before then, Dokpesi in fact signed the application forms, attached his passport photos entered his personal details in 2012. The account was yet to be approved before one of the manager handling it was eased out of the bank.”

Excuses after excuses from that devilish party.The reason pa buhari avoided the debate is quite simple-he is a illiterate certificateless ancient fool who wants to rear his static 150 cows.He knows that jonah boy and martins onovo will wipe the floor with him and that his arabian accent

20:40:30
Sun, Mar 22, 2015

ozoigbondu:
Excuses after excuses from that devilish party

Dokpesi is AIT owner.
He is an anti-Buhari.
Who knows what coup he might have planned for baba if he had showed up in that debate show.

Even after PDP told APC to organise debate anywhere that they will attend.

All they can do is win online poll, the kind stroke we Buhari go get after the election no be here.

SammyHoe:


Dokpesi is AIT owner.
He is an anti-Buhari.
Who knows what coup he might have planned for baba if he had showed up in that debate show.

Pa buhari is an illiterate

He is already a looser, he can't compete with the winning party that is why he wasn't there. GEJ is ruling

ozoigbondu:
Excuses after excuses from that devilish party.The reason pa buhari avoided the debate is quite simple-he is a illiterate certificateless ancient fool who wants to rear his static 150 cows.He knows that jonah boy and martins onovo will wipe the floor with him and that his arabian accent

GMB is wise woo, he knw he will be disgraced , so avoiding d debate will save him d embarrasment......... Gej till buhari show his Certificate

ozoigbondu:


Pa buhari is an illiterate

In Viru Strastrabuddhe's voice: 'congratulation!!!'


BTW, SAI BUHARI!!!

SammyHoe:


Dokpesi is AIT owner.
He is an anti-Buhari.
Who knows what coup he might have planned for baba if he had showed up in that debate show.

Oga Sammy, i dnt understand u again, do u also Suport Buhari?

The debate was a live debate it was not pre recorded, I wonder why GMB/APC didn't show up...On a live show you can say what you want and it won't be edited

So why all the shout about NEDG been biased or bought, when they GMB/APC can use the supposed biased live platform to nail GEJ/PDP/NEDG as they claimed..


This is just a baseless excuse, and a disregard to nigerians willing to hear from GMB/APC, not every nigerian will be chanced to be at their various rally...

Maybe he is already under shock for GEJ,s victory

shadyemmanuel:

Oga Sammy, i dnt understand u again, do u also Suport Buhari?

With all my heart for that matter sir

SammyHoe:


With all my heart for that matter sir

Reasons?

shadyemmanuel:

Reasons?

I believe in CHANGE. I believe that 4 years is enough time for someone to prove his worth.
GEJ had six years, nothing to show for it. With $50 billion dollars allocated for security every year (trillions of naira), yet there was insecurity until dine minute to election in the north.
Corruption is on the high in his regime but for Buhari, he was the only man with no record of corruption. I am a writer and WOLE SOYINKA is my old guy. He said it, HYDROPUS is the definition of corruption, but to my utmost shock, Nairaland kept that word alien to us by banning people who mentioned it until recently when a guy brought up that topic.

If NL can be banning people who mentioned 'hydropus' just because it is against GEJ, where then is the freedom of speech in democracy?

Is it a rumour that GEJ was indeed sharing billions just to win an election?

With all this million million

DogKPESI is still owing his staff over 1 year salary

Buhari and his supporters are all cowards! They only make empty noises all around. I expected GMB to show up at the debate or organise another public debate as was proposed by his core opponent, GEJ

Vicben:
Buhari and his supporters are all cowards! They only make empty noises all around. I expected GMB to show up at the debate or organise another public debate as was proposed by his core opponent, GEJ

GMB all the way