Candidates Must Honour Presidential Town Halls And Debates

 By Benedicta Egbo

On Sunday, November 6, Arise News held the first of its presidential town hall series. While three presidential candidates, namely Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian People’s Party and Kola Abiola of Peoples Redemption Party honoured the invitation, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was represented by his running mate and vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, which caused a mild drama at the event.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was absent. This is, of course, a familiar pattern with the major political parties, and it smacks of disrespect for Nigerians and the office they seek to occupy. The 2019 election cycle saw the same pattern of behaviour among some members of the political class. Apparently, the leopard never changes its spots.  There are two possible reasons that could make presidential candidates absent themselves from town halls and televised debates.

The first reason is their perceived incompetence. Put differently, they are not competent enough to engage the salient topics which, in the case of the Arise News town hall, focused on security and the economy. A second possible reason is an imagined sense of superiority that makes town halls and debates beneath a certain calibre of candidates.

Perhaps the political class ought to be reminded that anyone who feels too big to take part in televised national discourse that is designed to beam a searchlight on them, their ideologies and,  most importantly shows Nigerians how they plan to govern the country, has no business aspiring to lead this great nation.

It’s worth emphasising that arrogance and true public service are incompatible.  In many ways, town halls and debates are like interviews. No one gets a job without an interview even in a nepotistic society like Nigeria. The failure to show up for these “interviews” may be interpreted as disrespect and unseriousness. It is, therefore, unacceptable.

While one must commend Arise News, moving forward, no media house should accept substitutions or surrogates in place of presidential candidates.  Vice presidential candidates are not the standard bearers of their parties. The media must insist that only presidential candidates can participate in debates and town halls that are intended for them.  Of course, candidates are likely to provide a myriad of reasons to explain their absence.

However, with the exception of health matters, no engagement is more important than the patriotic act of attending and participating in such national discourse. Presidential candidates should no longer be given a free ride or preferential treatment.

As I have argued consistently, Nigeria’s extant political elite must understand that they serve the people and not vice-versa. They must, therefore, show respect for the people. Nigeria and its governance are much bigger than individuals.

If we must get the country back on track, rebuild our institutions and, get out of the current quagmire we find ourselves in, presidential candidates should exemplify respect, seriousness and humility. They must honour invitations to presidential town halls and debates.

*Benedicta Egbo is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Windsor