Buhari, Ribadu, NEDG trade words over debate

The controversy surrounding the presidential debate being organised by the Nigeria Electoral Debate Group (NEDG) deepened yesterday.

While NEDG said it was expecting all the eight candidates listed for the debate which begins today, the standard bearers of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and his Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) counterpart, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, insisted that they would not attend.

The candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who has also declined to attend the debate, could not be reached for comments.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of NEDG, Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa, told reporters at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja that none of the candidates expected at the debate had told the group that he would not attend.

But Buhari’s spokesman Mr. Yinka Odumakin, when contacted, simply said: “As we are talking now we have not changed our mind about the debate.”

The spokesman of Ribadu, Ibrahim Moddibo said: “The issue of attending, the debate is ruled out because right now we are on our way to Taraba State and by Tuesday (tomorrow) we will be in Adamawa.”