Last week, Nigerians who have the luxury of electrical supply, a television set and a satellite facility to tune into a television channel called NN24 witnessed a debate between a few running mates of Presidential candidates. A few days later, another debate involving the Presidential candidates of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Malam Nuhu Ribadu and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari was televised by the same channel. President Goodluck Jonathan and Arch Muhammad Namadi Sambo, the PDP candidate and running mate respectively, boycotted the debate. Their argument for refusing to participate in the debate was that it was not organized by the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria, BON, which had organized such debates in the past. The debates were intended to afford Nigerians the opportunity to assess the candidates and their running mates as well as provide additional avenues for the candidates to acquaint Nigerians with their visions; plans, programmes, and solutions to the country’s problems.
The debates were notable for a number of reasons. First, they were watched by quite possibly less than 1% of Nigerians who will vote in a few weeks time. To watch one of the three candidates or their running mates, you had to have the type of luxury which is far beyond the reach of the vast majority of Nigerians. Those who were rich enough to afford NEPA or generator and satellite television may not even vote, so the debate may have had little beyond an entertainment value. The bulk of those who will vote lost the opportunity to see the three candidates answer challenging questions on their character, their records, their plans and programmes, and their weaknesses. The vast majority of Nigerians who have neither electric power nor television sets do not know how the candidates will tackle insecurity, corruption, decaying social and economic infrastructure, the Niger Delta insurgency, or why they are better than the other candidates. If as a Nigerian you have not attended a rally where a Presidential candidate spoke because it was too far or too risky; and you have not seen the debates, chances are that you will be voting for a candidate on any basis other than his plans or vision for our country. Those who have the power to choose therefore have no knowledge to make an informed choice.
The debates were also notable in terms of the failure of the PDP candidates to participate in them. After much prevarication and petty complaints, the President and his Deputy failed to stand on the podium alongside other candidates to address Nigerians. By now, public comments on this major blunder would have registered on the PDP Presidential flag bearers. It is clear that they are either afraid that the debate will expose their weak grasp of the nation’s problems and their solutions; or that their refusal to attend the debate reflects a thinly-veiled contempt for the opinion of Nigerians regarding their ambitions of winning the elections. Whichever is the reason behind the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan and his deputy to participate in the debate, it must be clear to them by now that they have lost an excellent opportunity to seize the initiative in the current campaigns. None of the candidates is better placed than President Jonathan to provide solutions to Nigeria’s problems, having been Vice President and subsequently President in the last four years. He has facts, figures, experience and the benefits of being on the seat of power. He would have stood head-over-shoulders over other candidates as far as issues were concerned. Unfortunately for him and the PDP, that opportunity has been lost, and it will be difficult to see him regain grounds in another debate organized by another organization, assuming his competitors agree to attend, that is.
Another reason why the debates were notable was the revelation in terms of the composure, knowledge and articulation of the candidates. Governor Ibrahim Shekarau won the debate, according to most viewers, by a mile. He was composed, confident and convincing. He was articulate, and allowed much of his experience as Governor to guide his vision for a possible Presidency. Malam Nuhu Ribadu presented the face of a new generation of Nigerian leadership, but his sincerity was dampened by the obvious lack of depth in understanding Nigeria’s problems. His comparative lack of experience showed glaringly, even though it was more than made up by his passion and openness. General Muhammadu Buhari fell short of many people’s expectations, given his vastly-superior record of experience and age. Where Nigerians expected him to come up with clear, made-to-measure solutions to endemic problems, he dwelt on clichés and tired policies. For a man who embodies the desire for real change, there was very little in his performance to put him in a class different from Malam Shekarau and Malam Ribadu. For a man who has a serious image problem with the Nigerian elite, the debate provided the General with an excellent opportunity to debunk many of the undeserved labels which has been pinned on him by the elite. He failed to do this.
The televised debates were of very limited value as far as the vast majority of Nigerians who will vote are concerned. They did, however, expose the yawning gap between the candidates’ plans and an electorate which is still being mobilized only on ethnic, religious or regional sentiments. For the candidates who participated, every one of them was a winner. The losers were President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo who were either too afraid to face their rivals in an open debate, or too contemptuous of public opinion to submit themselves and their plans for a possible presidency for public scrutiny.
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