Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has said its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, cannot debate with the Labour Party presidential flagbearer, Mr Peter Obi, who has no documents or manifesto to show Nigerians.
Responding to the Labour Party’s challenge to Tinubu for an open debate with Obi on Tuesday, Minister of Labour and Employment (State) and spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo (SAN), in a statement said Obi should first release his manifesto and then list his achievements during his tenure as governor of Anambra State.
He said Obi should also tell Nigerians people he has mentored in politics who are still with him today, mention any political party he has formed and then mention his contributions to the return of democracy to Nigeria after years of military rule.
He said if the conditions are fulfilled, the APC will send one of its spokespersons to have an open debate with Obi.
“They have no manifesto, so what are we debating? What documents are we comparing? He said Nigerians should depend on what is inside his brain, not on any document. So, Asiwaju will then be debating with what? Is this campaign a joke to them? Do they think this is a Debating and Dramatic society in school?
”Before Obi can stand shoulder to shoulder with Asiwaju to debate, he should first release a manifesto for scrutiny; then he should list his tangible achievements as Governor of Anambra State compared to the tangible achievements of Asiwaju as Governor of Lagos State.
“Then he should list those he has mentored in politics from the days of his being Governor who is still with him now; then he should tell us any political party he has either formed or partnered to form and which he still belongs to today.
“Then he should list his democratic credentials, that is what he did to contribute to the return to democracy from Military rule and what he has since done, better than Asiwaju, to sustain our democracy.
“After all these, we shall send them one of our spokespersons to debate with him,” Keyamo said.
