IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – The Director General of the Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, Doyin Okupe has said that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, will no longer attend debates where ”surrogates of leading presidential candidates represent them.”
This is coming after the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, failed to show up for the presidential town hall meeting organized by Arise TV.
Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party was also represented at the event by his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, 7 November, Okupe said Obi will no longer debate with surrogates of running mates and will back out of any debate even at the last minute should other presidential candidates fail to show up.
This comes after Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu were absent from the presidential town hall meeting organized by the Centre for Democracy and Development and Arise Television on Sunday, 2 November, 2022.
The town hall series was held at the Transcorps Hilton, Abuja.
The event got off a shaky start on Sunday night, after audience kicked against the participation of the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who represented the party’s flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar.
Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi; Mr. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP); and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, Kola Abiola, attended the event in person.
APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was also absent and there was no representative for the ruling party.
The supporters of the LP, the NNPP and the PRP who were unhappy with Atiku’s absence heckled Okowa, stating that the event was meant for presidential candidates only.
Shouting “No representation by proxy,” the supporters prevented the programme from kicking off on time as the organizers sought to pacify them.
When calm was restored, all four candidates including Okowa, were allowed to speak to the audience for a few minutes.
Okowa later explained why his principal, Atiku Abubakar didn’t show up.