2019: PEC warns all political parties to agree on open TV Channel debate or get voted out by Nigerian electorates

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A political mass movement, Peoples equality Congress (PEC) has warned all political parties fielding candidates in the forthcoming 2019 general elections to agree on public ďebate by their candidates, especially governorship and presidential candidates. He said all political parties , without exception, must make a written commitment to Nigerian electorates that their all their candidates and their running mates will in separate occasions, engage in open channel TV debates.

Chief Festus said called Nigerian masses, especially the youths who are suffering because of poor policies of government outrightly reject any political party that fails to compel all their candidates to take part in open channel debates. According to him, this is because the disillusionment, hunger and trauma suffered by Nigerians since 2015 will multiply if any party fails to precisely give them a clear public policy view of how things will change positively from the current bad state for good beyond 2019..

Chief Bestman Festus gave this warning while answering questions from newsmen in a question and answer programme. Answering the question as to whether ‘Political debates should be an issue in the 2019 election’, Festus said that democratic practice in the 21st century conventionally ‘forbids’ a candidate from holding any elective position without engaging in political debates. He said this is so because debates provide voters the unique opportunity to make their choices amongst party candidates.

Chief Festus said that America, United Kingdom, Germany, Ghana and France amongst other countries elect leaders who are respected locally and internationally because the electorates weighed the candidates from their opinions and policy directions only through ‘Open Channel Debates’ before making choices.

He lamented that what happened in the run up to the 2015 general elections on the issue of political dodging public debate was very shameful and regretable shameful. He made the assertion that Nigerians are suffering in all parts of the country today because those who are ruling them today made mouth – watering promises to then but refused to join the public debate of 2015 to properly situate how such promises were to be implemented. He called on Nigerians to increase the momentum for the demand of public debate from INEC and all poltical parties to avoided by the flimsy excuses that has put us where we are today.

Chief Festus proposed that governorship and presidential candidates and their deputies should all appear on different occasion to debate in segments based on agreed time limits for each candidate to personally appear to talk about the most pressing and trending issues in Nigeria He stressed that only such debates will set the agenda for electoral canvassing and subsequent making of choices by the Nigerian electorates.

According to Festus, Nigerians are facing so many terrible challenges today and so the electorates have resolved not to tolerate any candidates aspiring to lead them from failing to voluntarily engage in public debate with other contenders for at least 90 minutes. He warned that PEC has gone to all the wards of this country to ignite the need to vote for only people who have ideas that are capable of changing the present situation in the country. He therefore warned that any candidate or political party that claims to have integrity, self-respect and good conscience should immediately withdraw from contesting or fielding such candidate the 2019 election. He emphasized that any candidate with some encumbrances due to health or poor intellectual capability to engage in open channel debates have no reason to vie for any executive position in the next four years.

Responding to a question on what issues should form the basis of 2019 presidential debate in Nigeria, Chief Festus said that PEC has used its nationwide structures to conduct regional and national surveys to identify problems affecting ordinary Nigerians since 2016. He explained that PEC’s voluntary activities were totally self-funded as members take their individual and collective contributions as supprting democracy to strive in Nigeria and to enforce the enthronement of good governance in Nigeria in the context of the organisation’s three planks of Social Equality, Economic Freedom and Environmental Justice for all Nigerians

He aptly captured the topics PEC members submitted from the National survey to include ‘Unabated Boko Haram Insurgency and Herdsmen Killings’, ‘Restructuring and Devolution of Powers’, ‘Economy, Especially the Cause and Effect of the Free fall of the Naira against the Dollar’, ‘Youth Unemployment and Increasing Deaths Arising from Illegal Migration ’, ‘Foreign Debts’, ‘Rule of Law and the Independence of the judiciary’ and ‘Fitness to be President of Nigeria’.

Chief Festus said that over 60% of Nigerian youths with great grassroots political impact will in the event of any public debate, have the opportunity of using different social media and national broadcasting channels to assess the capabilities of each candidate. According to him, Nigerian youths will use smartphones, tablets laptops and other modern electronic gadgets to watch the debates through live mainstreaming to decide and support only potential leaders that will impact positively on their lives through the debates.

He said that this is the only way the international community will respect Nigeria in the comity of nations; and that any attempt by any candidate or political party to send a surrogate will ignite a revolutionary voting history. He said that no political that has good intention or respect the Nigerian electorates can ever dodge political debates. He warned such parties to rethink as such attempt shall lead to their merciless defeat at the 2019 polls.

While calling on candidates and political parties sponsoring candidates to heed this warning, Chief Festus called on all electorates to prepare their PVCs for the most decisive Nigerian election in the upcoming months.

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