Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) on Wednesday said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo can represent President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential debate slated for January 19, 2019, if that is what the Federal Government wants.
Sagay said the debate is not about eloquence, but what the political parties have to offer the country, if elected.
He said: “Why not? The Vice President can represent the President if that is what the government wants. The debate is not a debate about eloquence of any particular person. It is a debate about what the various parties have to offer.
“So, if a spokesman of a party is nominated to appear on behalf of the party, why can’t the Vice President represent the president? The Presidency is one.
“The debate is to express the plans, objectives and programmes of the parties for the country, if elected, and I don’t think it should be personalised. There is no reason why a representative of the party cannot participate in the debate if the party so wishes.”
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) on Tuesday released the names of political parties that would be participating in the 2019 vice presidential and presidential debates.
According to the statement signed by Mr Eddi Emesiri, the NEDG Executive Secretary, the parties are Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Young Progressives Party (YPP).
The Vice Presidential debate would hold from 7 p.m at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Friday, December 14, 2018, while the presidential debate would hold just over a month later, on Saturday, January 19, 2019.
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The debates would be transmitted live on all BON member stations and its affiliates as well as live streaming on all social media platforms.
NEDG and BON had announced dates for the debates on November 22 at a press conference in Abuja.
According to them, the debate would focus on the issues that matter most to working families; restoring the economy, providing electricity, creating jobs, securing health care for every Nigerian, making and achieving excellence in every Nigerian school and ensuring safety and security for Nigerians.
The Nigerian Election Debate Group sets the format and rules of the debate, handles moderation, outlines the criteria for political party participation, ensures the objectivity of audiences and steers negotiations between broadcasters and the parties.
