2027: Atiku Challenges Tinubu To Presidential Debate, Sets Condition For Participation

Atiku’s position was made known in a statement issued on Tuesday by his official spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo.

According to the statement, Atiku believes presidential debates should provide Nigerians with an opportunity to assess both the government in power and those seeking to replace it, rather than becoming contests involving only opposition candidates.

Okonkwo argued that political contests and presidential debates across democracies typically involve both ruling and opposition parties, describing the emergence of opposition-only debates in Nigeria as “untenable.”

He accused the APC-led administration of benefiting from arrangements that bring opposition candidates against one another while, in his view, allowing the government to avoid scrutiny over its record in office.

“This has become a strategy that the failed, incompetent, and corrupt All Progressives Congress’ government under Tinubu has been using to further instigate the opposition to attack each other while shielding itself from scrutiny by the Nigerian people,” the statement alleged.

Okonkwo said Atiku has consequently decided to make his participation in any presidential debate conditional on the participation of Tinubu and the APC.

“There is no hiding place for APC in 2027,” he declared.

The spokesperson, however, stressed that Atiku remains willing to engage directly with Nigerians through other platforms, including interviews, town hall meetings, press conferences and other public forums.

Related: Atiku Says President Tinubu’s Personal Business Ties Is Reason For Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway

According to him, the former vice president will continue to present his ideas and policies to Nigerians but will not participate in what his campaign considers an arrangement that places opposition candidates against one another while giving the ruling party an advantage.

Atiku consequently challenged Tinubu to a national presidential debate where the candidates would have the opportunity to explain their policies and how they intend to implement them.

The proposed debate, according to the statement, would allow Nigerians to compare the programmes and approaches of the ruling party and the opposition before deciding who to support in the 2027 election.

“HE Atiku Abubakar, therefore, challenges President Bola Tinubu to a national presidential debate which will provide an opportunity for both the ruling party and the opposition parties to address Nigerians on their policies and ways to achieve those policies so that Nigerians can make an informed choice for the 2027 elections,” Okonkwo said.

The development adds another dimension to the growing political exchanges between Atiku and Tinubu as campaigns ahead of the 2027 presidential election gather momentum.