Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not participate in the debate for presidential candidates.
This is because of the verbal attack on other
presidential candidates by Itse Sagay, the chairman of the Presidential
Advisory Committee Against Corruption.
Mr Sagay had in an
interview with Daily Sun described other presidential candidates, who
are expected to feature in the debate alongside President Muhammadu
Buhari, as political dwarfs.
The law professor said the president
is far ahead of all other candidates and doesn’t need to debate his
opponents because by doing so he is making them relevance.
“He
(Buhari) has nothing to gain by debate. If he goes to debate, he is just
going to help people who have no hope, and I call them, Buhari and the
political dwarfs; he is only going to give relevance to the political
dwarfs; he is already far ahead of all of them,” Sagay said.
When told that the president’s failure to attend might mean he has nothing to say, the learned silk disagreed.
“He
doesn’t want to go there and make them taller than they are; so, let
them remain like that – political dwarfs. In four weeks time, we will
know them,” he added.
Stating why he is staying away from the debate, the former vice president said it’s because the president is staying away.
The PDP flag-bearer stated this in a statement by Kassim Afegbua, spokesman of the Atiku Campaign Organisation.
He however berated Sagay who he described as a “turncoat academic.”
“When
you realised that a supposed law professor like Itse Sagay now talks
with tongue in cheek, you easily know that societal values and morality
have become debased,” Afegbua said.
“When you realised that he once taught in the University, then the senility of his intellect has attained double jeopardy.
“Itse
Sagay has not only become a turncoat academic but one whose sight
invokes pity, sympathy and empathy. How can APC presidential candidate
who has been fighting “battles” with his WASC consider others who are
duly qualified and well read as dwarfs? Does it not suggest that
something is amiss somewhere?
“Who is actually a dwarf here? Is
it a presidential candidate running away from debate or one who is
challenging the other to a debate? Didn’t you see them packaging a
phoney debate for him where he would have studied the questions and
answers and regurgitate them to the best of what would have been
prepared for him?
“If the APC presidential candidate is not
presenting himself for debate, we will not allow our presidential
candidate to attend any debate. But if APC candidate is ready to engage
our candidate, he is ready and prepared for him,” he said.
The
debate expected to hold Saturday evening will feature five presidential
candidates which includes: Mr Buhari – All Progressive Congress (APC),
Atiku – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Oby Ezekwesili – Allied Congress
Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Fela Durotoye – Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN)
and Kingsley Moghalu – Young Progressives Party (YPP).
Source:- Politicstimesng
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