Sowore kicks over exclusion from presidential debate

presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Omoyele Sowore has protested against his non-inclusion in the planned presidential debate being organised by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG).

Sowore spoke yesterday with aviation correspondents at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after on his arrival from the United States (U.S.) aboard a Delta Airline flight.

He said his exclusion from the debate being organised in collaboration with the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (NBC) was unfair.

Sowore, who is the publisher of online media platform Sahara Reporters, maintained that he was ready for debates on the forthcoming presidential election.

According to him, he will, alongside his supporters, , continue to pressure the organisers until they include his name among the participants in the debate.

He emphasised that he was the most prepared and popular of all the candidates, wondering why his name would be excluded in list.

Sowore said: “The beginning of the electoral fraud was the non-inclusion of my name among the presidential debaters.

“We won’t allow this to deter us because for us, the debate has commenced. Apart from using Nigerian media, there are some other media where issues are already being discussed.”

He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to give assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 as passed by the National Assembly.

According to him, the amended law will improve transparency in the 2019 elections.