Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Saturday boycotted the 2019 Election Debate organized by the Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG) in conjunction with the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) following the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari at the debate.
Atiku who jetted into the country from the United States of America where he had gone for a two day official visit, actually arrived at the venue of the debate but had to withdraw at the last minute.
Atiku was to be introduced to the podium for the debate by the moderator of the debate, Mark Eddo but a paper was passed to him from the audience prompting him to suspend the action and switch over to the Young Progressives Party Presidential candidate, Kinglsey Moghalu.
However, the moderator of the debate, Eddo later on announced that “Atiku did turn up. He was in the hall but at the last second, he decided not to appear”.
Reacting to his absence from the debate, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said “We came for a Presidential debate, not a candidacy debate, and I, Atiku Abubakar cannot challenge or question an administration where the man at the helm of the affairs of the nation is not present to defend himself or his policies. After all, you cannot shave a man’s head in his absence.
“I do not believe in attacking a man who is NOT here to defend himself. As a leader and former vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, let me first apologise to all Nigerians, my fellow candidates and the moderator for the APC Presidential Candidate’s absence in this debate. His non-appearance is a slight on ALL of us and our democracy.
“Secondly, with all due respect to my fellow candidates, Fela Durotoye, Oby Ezekwesili, Kingsley Moghalu and to the moderator Mark Sugar and with apologies to all Nigerians here and at home expecting an interesting debate, I regret that I will not be able to go on with this debate due to President Buhari’s absence.
“I however challenge President Buhari to choose a date and time for a debate where he will be present and I will be there, hopefully with the other candidates as well”.
Our correspondent reports that Atiku stayed in the audience for a while and later left at exactly 7.20pm prompting many spectators who had earlier came to witness the debate live leave the venue in utter disappointment.
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