Debate:ANPP, CPC, ACN UNHAPPY OVER JONATHAN'S REFUSAL

From ISAAC ODEH, Kaduna
Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The spokespersons of the Presidential candidate of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have lamented the situation where the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organization deliberately set out to humiliate other Presidential candidates by reneging on an agreement of presidential debate organized by NN24.
A statement jointly signed by Deputy Director, Communications Shekarau for Nigeria, Sule Yau Sule, spokesman for General Muhammadu Buhari, Yinka Odumankin and Director, Media and Communications, Ribadu Presidential Campaign Team, Ibrahim Modibbo said that the action was organized so that our teeming supporters and Nigerians in general would understand and appreciate our position.
"Consequently, we state without ambiguity that our principals will not honour any debate session with President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 elections as he has arrogantly shunned the credible debate for which we made ourselves available," the statement said.
The statement said that it was at the instance of the representative of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organization, Dr. Okupe that March 18, 2011 was suggested for the debate and which it was successfully held.
According to the statement, all accepted the date not because it was convenient for other principal actors, but as a sacrifice to afford voters opportunity to assess and judge the candidates' programmes as well as personality under the spotlight.
"We, indeed, bent backwards for office of the President even when we are fully aware that the occupant is no more than a co-contestant in the contest as it were. But there is a limit to which we can subject ourselves to this sheer impunity of the ruling party which they have flunked on our faces as a people in the last 12 years. The PDP has a record of shunning every Presidential debate since 1999.
"We are highly suspicious of the celebrated romance with the BON debate by President Jonathan's camp which shunned the NN24 debate without apology," it added.