Labour Party
The Labour Party‘s (LP) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) says Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, will no longer attend debates where other candidates are not present.
Doyin Okupe
Doyin Okupe, Director General, PCC, LP, said this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.
He said the absence of presidential candidates from debates has become a growing trend in the 2023 election campaign.
Labor Party Presidential Campaign Organisation
“Let us make it clear today that these recurring acts will no longer be acceptable to the Labor Party Presidential Campaign Organisation.
Peter Obi
“While our candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and Vice Presidential candidate, Dr. Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, are prepared at all times to engage other candidates and the Nigerian people in properly scheduled debates, public meetings and any other appearance as designated and scheduled.
“In this election season, they will only be prepared to take the podium, with their peers in this presidential race, and not with any distracting substitute or proxy.
“This position is taken with the utmost respect for the rights and wishes of Nigerians to full and direct information, and first-hand answers and presentations necessary for the best assessment of worth, ability, ability, competence, character, integrity and disposition, as needed. to make the right decision in this upcoming election,” he said.
Nigerian Bar Association
Okupe said that on Monday, August 22, the Nigerian Bar Association invited leading presidential candidates to address its Annual Bar Conference and the Nigerian people on the epic occasion. He said again on September 13 and 14, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce. and Industry invited the presidential candidates of the main parties to interact with them and the Nigerian people. He said the event was an opportunity for them to reveal their general policy and economic initiatives as a prelude to the presidential election. However, he said that while Obi and other invited candidates appeared in person, the APC presidential candidate sent his running mate to represent him. “Once again, yesterday, November 6, at the First AriseTV Town Hall Meeting, in contradiction to the understanding reached with the organizers. , about allowing only presidential candidates to attend the event. “The PDP vice-presidential candidate was allowed to represent the presidential candidate,” he said. Okupe sai d this caused a protest and noisy situation with other presidential candidates present. “Obi and the Presidential Campaign Organization totally condemn this disregard for the electorate and the people, absentee presidential candidates. “The decision to present himself as a presidential candidate does not begin and end with the purchase, presentation of forms and certification as a candidate by the INEC. “It also foreshadows in the candidate a high degree of responsibility to come forward for open discussions and explanations about his policies, visions and plans for the people to enable a better understanding and engender a proper choice in the upcoming elections.
“Anything short of simple, transparent and honest adherence to this basic contract of responsibility falls short of fair competition and engagement standards. This could only be interpreted as malicious circumvention of the desired interface with people. He said it was totally reprehensible and inconceivable why presidential candidates should think they are doing the voting public and indeed all Nigerians, a favor. Okupe said Obi was currently the leading candidate in this presidential race, and yet he did not display the baseless and arrogant disposition of some of his co-candidates. “Joint candidacy in a presidential election, and in a substantive presidency, is a permanent replacement constitutional provision, where the presidential candidate is primarily incapacitated or critically unavailable,” he said.
Culled from NNN
