Against the backdrop of the controversy surrounding presidential debates which is currently ongoing in Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general election, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has urged the National Assembly (NASS) to take urgent steps to enact a law to make participation in presidential and governorship debates mandatory part of Nigeria’s electoral process.
In a statement signed by its secretary general, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the CNPP recalled that looking back at the history of election debates in the country, it is either some candidates deliberately refused to attend the debates or they were excluded by the organisers based on their prejudices.
According to the CNPP, it is important to put these measures in place because legalising the presidential and governorship debates will go a long way in helping the electorates to make informed decisions on the choice of the chief executive officer of a state or the Federal Republic of Nigeria or even the choice of a lawmaker to represent his or her constituency.
The CNPP added that in advanced democracies, like the United States where Nigeria borrowed her presidential system from, debates are not constitutionally mandated but they are considered an intrinsic part of the American electoral process such that no serious contender in the United States presidential race can afford to stay away from any scheduled candidates’ debates.
Read Also: Presidency: I Will Withdraw From 2023 Race If.. – Obi
It noted that while Nigeria has been holding presidential and governorship debates, they have been everything but organised and mandatory for candidates to appear.
It observed that in Nigeria, media organisations and nongovernmental bodies have attempted to set up platforms for presidential and governorship debates but participations remained at the discretion of the candidates or that of the organisers, adding that over the years, organisers select preferred candidates they considered to be top contenders and unjustly excluded the rest of the contestants, thereby failing to provide a level playing field for all candidates to participate.
The CNPP believes that in order for election debates by candidates to achieve the intended purposes, there is need to make governorship and presidential debates mandatory for all candidates and their political parties to participate.
It said that candidates’ debates should be consciously made a veritable platform for the general public to screen persons seeking to represent them at any level in government through elections and as an avenue to increase political participation in the country.