The Presidential campaign of the
All Progressives Congress and its
Peoples Democratic Party
counterpart on Monday clashed
over the refusal of the former to
honour an invitation to hold a live
debate on national issues.
According to the APC presidential
campaign, its candidate, Maj. Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was
turning down an invitation to hold
a debate with President Goodluck
Jonathan because there were more
serious campaign issues.
The APC campaign explained that
its candidate was commencing a
series of town hall meetings across
the nation as part of his deliberate
strategy of campaign ahead of the
February 14 presidential election.
This was contained in a statement
signed by the APC presidential
campaign Director of the Media,
Garba Shehu.
He explained that Buhari and his
running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
would interact and explain directly
to citizens the policy thrust of their
envisaged administration and how
the set objectives would be
achieved.
The statement said the town hall
meetings which started in Lagos on
Monday, with a robust interaction
between Buhari/Osibanjo and the
Organised Private Sector would be
taken to other parts of the nation.
According to him, the party is
compelled to chart this course
because of the compelling need to
have person-to-person interactive
sessions during which pertinent
questions will be posed to the
candidates and responses
provided.
In response, the PDP Presidential
Campaign Organisation said it
condemned the contempt with
which the APC presidential
candidate had held Nigerians with
his consistent refusal to participate
in live television debates with
President Goodluck Jonathan.
The spokesperson for the PDP
presidential campaign, Femi Fani-
Kayode, in a statement in Abuja
said Buhari’s decision to shun
another debate organised by the
Newspaper Proprietors Association
of Nigeria and Channels Television
was despicable.
He urged Nigerians to ensure the
rejection of Buhari at the poll as a
just recompense for his action.