"We are disappointed, but not deterred. We recognize that those who have raped and plundered Nigeria for much of the last 58 years will not yield power without a fight. While the debate would have offered us a platform to engage with the Nigerian people, we are encouraged by the fact that although our candidate will not be on the debate stage, his message of hope continues to be passed on to Nigerians on the streets, in market squares, in places of worship and on social media."
The African Action Congress (AAC) says even if Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has been excluded from the presidential debate, it will not deter the party from its mandate to bring positive change to the country.
The presidential debate organised by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) scheduled to take place on Saturday evening in Abuja.
A statement by Dr Malcolm Fabiyi, Director General of the Sowore 2019 Campaign and AAC Deputy National Chairman (Admin), noted that while four other political parties — All Progressives Congress, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Peoples Democratic Party and Young Progressives Party — would be represented, Sowore, "Nigeria’s most authentic voice for positive change and national transformation will be conspicuously absent from that stage".
The statement read: "We are disappointed, but not deterred. We recognize that those who have raped and plundered Nigeria for much of the last 58 years will not yield power without a fight. While the debate would have offered us a platform to engage with the Nigerian people, we are encouraged by the fact that although our candidate will not be on the debate stage, his message of hope continues to be passed on to Nigerians on the streets, in market squares, in places of worship and on social media.
"The conspiracy to keep the most authentic voice of positive change and transformation away from that debate stage was deep. It began with the fraudulent selection of participants by Channels TV, NEDG and BON, and ended with the refusal of the Chief Judge of the High Court of the FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello, to assign the case to a trial judge. Along the way, the first trial judge, Justice D.Z. Senchi recused himself from the case, and the UPN, a member party of the APC-led Coalition of Progressive Political Parties (CPPP), sought to introduce further delays by filing to join our case.
"All these extreme actions were taken because they are afraid. Again we ask question what we have asked before: why is there such an obvious fear of allowing the participation of Omoyele Sowore in the presidential debate? What does the ruling establishment have to hide? We know they do not want us to reveal to Nigerians that the 'Next Level' that they are seeking, is a worse level of depravity, ineptitude, nepotism and corruption. They are afraid that what they tell themselves behind closed doors, as Nigerians learned from the revealing confessions that Amaechi made about Buhari and the APC’s views about Nigeria, will be openly exposed to the Nigerian people, on prime time TV.
"They are correct to be afraid. Sowore would have spoken truth to power tonight. He would have called out Buhari for his callous indifference and challenged Atiku on his crass corruption. He would have revealed Buhari’s ineptitude in the areas of corruption, security and the economy; and exposed Atiku’s complicity in the systemic degradation of Nigeria and its institutions. But most importantly, he would have shared his clear vision for placing Nigeria on the path to prosperity and growth."
Speaking further on the exclusion of its candidate, the party restated its commitment to ensuring a brighter future for Nigerians.
The statement continued: "If those who conspired to keep Sowore from that debate tonight believe that by doing so, they would have silenced him, they are making a grave error. Truth can never be crushed. A hurricane cannot be tamed. The Nigerian people have seen a glimpse of a brighter future that Sowore and the AAC will provide to them.
"On January 23rd, Nigerians will hear from Sowore at 'The Candidates', a town hall series organized by the MacArthur Foundation. President Buhari and VP Osinbajo were at the forum on the 16th, and Nigerians got to watch a two-hour horror movie of the inept set of leaders at the helm of our nation. We will present our case to the Nigerian people at this town hall. We ask our supporters and those who seek genuine progress for Nigeria, to tune in to that event.
"We knew it wouldn’t be easy. We knew the roads would be rough. We knew the establishment would fight back. We are still here. We are still strong. We will not retreat. We will not surrender. Nigeria’s future is too important. We will continue the fight, and we are confident that on February 16, 2019, the Nigerian people will give their verdict on the debate for Nigeria’s future by voting Omoyele Sowore as the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria."