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Arise TV, Centre For Democracy And Development Invite Sowore, Other Presidential Candidates To Presidential Debate After Backlash

Arise TV, Centre For Democracy And Development Invite Sowore, Others To Presidential Debate After Backlash
November 11, 2022

Discussions will focus on Nigeria’s security and the economy.

 

Presidential candidates, Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC), Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Sani Yabagi Yusuf of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Umeadi Peter Nnanna of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have been invited for a debate organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development and Arise Television.

The presidential town hall meeting for Sowore and others will be held on Sunday, November 13, 2023, at 7:00 pm.

Discussions will focus on Nigeria’s security and the economy.

CDD and Arise TV had invited Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party for a debate held on Sunday.

But Tinubu and Atiku failed to show up at the event.

The vice-presidential candidate of the PDP, Ifeanyi Okowa represented Atiku, while Tinubu had no representative.

The organisers claimed the four candidates were selected based on the performance of their parties in an online survey by the organisers during which all the 18 political parties were listed in alphabetical order.

“The result of this survey informed our decision to invite the highest four scoring parties – LP, APC, PDP and NNPP to the town hall,” the Director of the CDD, Idayat Hassan had earlier said in a statement.

“All 18 political parties were listed in alphabetical order. After the survey was closed, nine parties did not receive a vote.

“The remaining nine received the following percentage of votes- African Action Congress – 20.7 per cent, APC – 86.2 per cent, All Progressives Grand Alliance – 6.9 per cent, LP – 96.6 per cent, NNPP – 51.7 per cent, PDP– 82.8 per cent, Peoples Redemption Party – 6.9 per cent, Social Democratic Party – 6.9 per cent and Young Progressive Party – 13.8 per cent.”

However, the organisers failed to pick Sowore who they claimed scored 20.7 percent after Tinubu backed out of the debate. Instead, they went for Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party who had 6.9 percent.

The organisers also shunned the candidates of the YPP, SDP and APGA who had 13.8 percent, 6.9 percent and 6.9 percent respectively.

Most Nigerians including an activist, Baba Aye condemned the action of Arise TV and CDD.

“In a @PremiumTimesng article @HassanIdayat said @CDDWestAfrica picked 4 of the 18 presidential candidates for a town hall meeting it's organizing with @ARISEtv based on ranking via a Twitter survey. The 5th (with 20.7%) was @YeleSowore whilst Kola Abiola of the "PRP" had 6.9%.

“APGA & SDP also ranked 6.9% i.e., bhd @aacparty & even YPP. But Kola has been made a replacement for @OfficialAPCNg. This is indefensible. CSOs like @CDDWestAfrica that are supposed to be credible, should not follow such pathways of questionable bias, to say the least,” Baba Aye tweeted.

Following the backlash, the organisers announced that Sowore, Adebayo, Yusuf and Nnanna would be invited for ‘Series two’ of the debate this Sunday.