The Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria have postponed a presidential debate that was originally scheduled for today, Thursday, January 26, 2023. Candidates participating in the debate were informed that they could run their political jingles during the program for a fee of N500,000. A letter obtained by our source, which was sent to one of the presidential candidates and signed by NEDG Executive Secretary Edidi Emessiri, was dated January 18. The letter indicated that the debate was to take place in Abuja at a venue that would remain undisclosed, as the organizers wished to keep this information “private and confidential.”
The letter, titled “Invitation to participate in the 2023 presidential rescheduled debates,” stated, “Sir, we write in respect of the above subject matter and to request the honour of your presidential candidate’s distinguished presence and participation in the Presidential Debate scheduled to hold on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Broadcast take-off time is 6 PM. You are expected to arrive at the venue by 5 PM to enable us to complete make-up preparations for your live broadcast. The venue in Abuja will be communicated to you in due course as we want this information to be private and confidential.”
When contacted on Thursday to inquire about the event, Emessiri confirmed to our correspondent that the debate had been postponed due to “logistics” issues, but he did not provide a new date, stating that discussions were still ongoing. When asked about the rationale behind charging candidates N500,000 for the advertisement and the implications for those who might not afford the fee, a frustrated Emessiri explained, “The NEDG is collaborating with all the radio and television stations in the country, and there are logistics costs to be incurred. Who is going to pay for the satellite uplink? We are paying for the hall.” He emphasized that debates organized by other private media houses were funded by civil society organizations, whereas the NEDG was not receiving any external funding.
Emessiri further questioned, “Are the politicians themselves not paying for halls to use? We are providing a platform for them where all of them will have access to the largest media platforms in the country, and then you’re asking questions. We want to invite all the presidential candidates, but all of them must contribute something. It’s not free of charge. The media organizations have given me a bill to clear for satellite uplink costs.” He added, “If they don’t have the money, why are they becoming presidential candidates?” It was also reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission had been notified of the debate.
Comments are closed for this story.