[quote author=manforgu post=118177665][/quote]

Presidential debates are not mandatory in the United States either.

Scribx:


SMH! Like Buhari abi? People will never learn.
Don't worry, we all will see another administration run by the 'presidency' rather than the president. It's either some of your are under a spell, or you're just naturally mischievous, even to your own hurt or that of your family, who has their living in Nigeria.

What is the importance of presidential debates?

madapcmod:


But we copied American system of govt. So why not copy America well?

Do you see how democrats and republicans debate several time before election?

Only in Nigeria will you lots be giving excuse for nonsense.

How do we hear what Emilokan has to offer?

Fiscal federalism has nothing to do with presidential debates.

Summary of the Arise Town hall meeting:

On security, Kwankwaso, Abiola, and Okowa spoke out of point on the Kaduna train attack. The question was specific, instead they spoke in general about their manifestos on security. Only Obi addressed the question directly as to how he would've responded to that particular attack as Commander in Chief.

I liked Kwankwaso's comment that no one can win the election by running on tribal and religious sentiments.

Dino Melaye's question, not surprisingly, was a jibe at the APC but he directed it to Obi, probably because APC was not represented. Kwankwaso of course hit the APC for their absence. And Obi drew an applause the way he tackled Dino's question, even though the rules forbade applauses.

In their responses to the corruption claim of bandits that politicians steal and also appropriate for themselves national security structures, only Obi was clear about his position as an uncorrupted person in office. I'm from Delta. Okowa of course lied about taking development to oil producing communities to reduce insecurity. He didn't. I live in Warri. His drawback was that he was standing as proxy and spoke for himself instead of Atiku.

A panelist, Jibrin (or Jubril?), raised a question about 6m arms in the hands of bandits. Such statements baffle me. Who went to count them? Abiola shocked me when he said that the National Security Council has not met since 1999! So what does that constitutional body exist for?

Talk about wasting resources! Obi dazzled of course when he addressed the number of policemen and its gross inadequacy. The man has an impressive knack for facts and figures. The fact checker upheld his claim as true. A claim by Abiola was debunked by the fact checker buy he stood his ground. Kwankwaso didn't fare too well under fact checking. Okowa didn't present facts that needed checking.

On the economic issues, Obi was clearest on what he intended to do to deal with the listed ailments. He spoke first and others latched on to his points by and large. Obi frequently speaking first tended to make the proceedings one sided, in my opinion.

On Jubril's worry that the billions candidates are investing in their campaigns would mean an attempt to recoup their investment when they win, apart from saying the PRP was not investing billions, I really didn't understand Abiola's answers. Kwankwaso did not address the concern either. He simply said the issue didn't apply to the NNPP. Obi adopted that of course. But the reality is that billions are being spent. Okowa reiterated that. Question is, how will they be recovered? He didnt address that.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that Tinubu would not be attending these fora. Either he has nothing to offer or he lacks confidence. Either way he's not fit for the high office of President. Another unavailable president will be a disaster.

On process, I think applauses should not be banned. They're the only way to acknowledge good points and assess the candidates. Secondly, one minute is certainly not enough to do justice to any question.

Time keepers appeared to be out of sync with their job.

Finally, known national ruffians and rascals like Dino Melaye should not be allowed in these fora. They just can't keep themselves in check. They're disrupters. Obi had to call him to order when he interrupted proceedings to allege that certain questioners in the hall were 'Obi people.' Every candidate had his supporters in the hall. He obviously came to the townhall with an agenda. He's a disgrace.
Overall, a good outing by the Arise TV.

Doyou2019:

And for the records :

Tinubu didn't pay your WAEC fees; taxpayers' money did.

Thank you for reminding me sir. You're very correct.