The Presidential campaign of the All Progressives
Congress has said its candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) and his
running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, will not participate in the Broadcast
Organisation of Nigeria organised electioneering debate.
According to the APC Presidential campaign, its
candidate was staying away from the event because of the unhidden bias and
campaign of calumny by key organisers of the programme, against the corporate
political interest of the APC.
This position was contained in a statement signed
by Mallam Garba Shehu, Director Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential
Campaign Organisation, in Abuja, on Thursday.
APC said the Nigeria Election Debate Group -powered
debate, was fraught with fundamental errors from the outset, by wearing the
toga of government control, especially being composed mainly of agencies and
allies of the incumbent People’s Democratic Party’s administration.
The statement partly read, “A salutary inspection
of the composition of NEGD brings into focus the Broadcasting Organisation of
Nigeria, National Television Authority, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria
and the Africa Independent Television (owned by a PDP chieftain).
“And going by the avalanche of inflammatory
statements, misinformation and blatant lies being propagated by some of these
media against our Party and candidates contrary to the Koffi Annan brokered
Abuja Peace Accord, and the failure of these aggressors to desist and
apologise, have left the APC Campaign with no option than to steer clear of any
premeditated smear campaign that could be inimical to our prospective electoral
success.”
The campaign spokesman further explained that the
boycott by the APC should not be seen as disrespect to Nigerian voters, or an
alibi for the party to dodge public scrutiny; but it must be viewed as an
honourable right not to consent to any activity that could distract, demean,
denigrate or derail the fast-moving train of the party.
Shehu noted that the APC remains a party of
progressive intellectuals, genuine technocrats, successful businessmen and
women, and most of all, eminent and courteous people of honour who would never
condescend to the level of sadistic gutter propaganda, all in the name of
political exigency and crass opportunism.
He pointed out that many Government-controlled
media have clipped the wings of APC promotional advertisements on one excuse on
the other adding that, until a court upturned their decision recently, the
Nigerian Communications Commission shutdown some telecom portals for soliciting
legitimate campaign funds from members of the public for APC.
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Politics