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A planned television debate yesterday between Nigeria’s two presidential candidates turned “farcical” after General Olusegun Obasanjo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) failed to turn up, news organisations reported. The live programme went out anyway, with his rival Olu Falae of the All People’s Party/Alliance for Democracy taking full advantage of the occasion to outline his position on various issues.
Falae, like Obasanjo, pledged to pull Nigerian troops out of Sierra Leone if elected, a journalist who monitored the broadcast told IRIN. “It’s unacceptable to be wasting Nigerian money abroad, while we’re starving at home,” Falae said. “We will bring our boys home from Sierra Leone within a year after serving notice to our West African partners.” Sierra Leone’s problem was political, he said, adding: “You cannot win a bush war.”
Political analysts in Nigeria told IRIN Obasanjo had “shot himself in the foot” by not showing up for the debate. They described Falae as very articulate who was able to put forward his views unimpeded for an hour of prime time television.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions