Why Tinubu must not dodge presidential debate

DAN ONWUKWE FROM THE SUN

Presidential  debates offer candidates an unparalleled opportunity to present their stances on issues and pitch themselves and their vision for the country. In advanced democracy, presidential debates could move the needle and flip the margins a little bit and influence elections outcome, especially in a close race that is likely to happen in Nigeria’s consequential presidential poll on January 16, 2027. That is why, for instance, in the United States, presidential debates have become for decades, a staple of campaigns. And history has shown that live television debates can have the power to sway undecided voters and solidify public perception of the candidates.      

All of this raises an important question: why has it become the ‘occupational disease’,  the habit of many presidential candidates in Nigeria, to dodge debates? Do they have something to hide from the public or is it  a disrespect for  the electorate? Standing on stage proves that a leader is strong and ready for the job. Nigeria  has sunk into historic levels of dysfunction. And studies and conclusions have found that we are a nation disillusioned and even cynical about the performance of our political leaders and institutions, and those attitudes have been building for a long time, but has grown worse in recent years.                                         

Statistics show that voter turnout in choosing our president peaked in 2003 general election at 69.1 percent. Since then, it has been all downhill, especially since the APC came power at the centre in 2015, with voter turnout at 43.7 percent, 34.7 percent  in 2019. The lowest turnout was recorded in 2023 at 27 percent. The rest of the eligible voters engaged in what amounted to a boycott or ‘voter apathy’ because they didn’t believe their vote would count. The turnout could be worse in 2027. As another election nears, the situation in the country is worse than  at time in our democratic history. There’s need for the presidential candidates to talk to Nigerians  through debates.      Just recently, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, and now, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress(ADC) threatened that his participation in any presidential debate ahead of the 2027 election would be conditional, on the attendance of President Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC). Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued by one of his spokespersons, Kenneth Okonkwo. According to him, presidential debate should serve as an opportunity for both the incumbent President(Tinubu) and the opposition presidential candidates to present their policies and programmes to Nigerians.     

That’s how it should be. It should no longer be the practice that involves only opposition candidates. Earlier, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Mr. Peter Obi, had spoken strongly in the same vein, saying “no presidential candidate should hide behind the high walls of power or rely on proxies or surrogates during campaigns”. In other words, Obi is saying that every presidential candidate, including President Tinubu, should avail the Nigerian electorate that physical presence  both during the campaign period and through live television debate. Nothing else will do.                                      

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