President Goodluck Jonathan has challenged the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress in the March 28 election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to a public debate at the Chatham House in United Kingdom saying it would deepen democracy.
Jonathan threw the challenge in an open letter to Buhari through Mr. Onoriode Akpeh, the National Coordinator of Wind of Hope, his personal NGO, and obtained by journalists.
The organization said it would “fully sponsor” such a forum, adding “all we ask is that you state your preferred date and time.” The open letter is produced below:
OPEN LETTER TO GENERAL MOHAMMADU BUHARI
28th February, 2015
His Excellency,
General Mohammadu Buhari,
Presidential Candidate of the APC,
Buhari Campaign Organization,
Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
Your Excellency,
OFFER OF SPONSORSHIP OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AT CHATAM HOUSE,UNITED KINGDOM.
We wish to congratulate you on your recent visit to the United Kingdom where you delivered a speech at Chatham House, London on Thursday 26th February, 2015. Your speech at the event is clearly a source of motivation for your supporters who in recent times seem to have lost steam in their aggressive marketing of your candidacy for the office of President.
The author of the said speech must be commended because your presentation finally acknowledged the achievements of the Goodluck Jonathan administration in growing our economy to be the largest in Africa with a GDP of $510 Billion and maintaining a single digit inflation regime.
However, your actions or party’s actions with regards to the entire concept and aim of the forum calls to question your refusal to accede to requests by your supporters and other teaming Nigerians for a Presidential Debate here at home in Nigeria.
In our quest to deepen democracy which thrives on robust and constructive deliberations that aids the electorate in making informed decisions, Wind of Hope hereby offers you a a platform to debate with the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan before the forthcoming elections at Chatam House where you were so obviously at ease before your supporters and the international media.
Again, we wish to reiterate the import of such a debate in this election which you appropriately described as “Nigeria’s landmark election” in your speech at Chatham House.
We wish to state further, our readiness to FULLY SPONSOR such a forum. All we ask is that you state your preferred date and time.
We wish Your Excellency well in all your endeavors and do so with the hope that you see our request as a call to duty where the future of our country is at stake, no inconvenience is too great to bear.
Please accept the assurance of our best regards,
ONORIODE AKPE
NATIONAL COORDINATOR
WIND OF HOPE
Photo credit: Elombah.