Governorship
candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party in Osun State,
Senator Iyiola Omisore and Alhaji Fatai Akinbade respectively on Saturday
shunned a radio debate organised for them and Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The debate
which was organised by a United States of America-based International
Republican Institute was billed to be broadcast live on Osun State Broadcasting
Corporation Osogbo on Saturday.
Aregbesola,
who was said to have gone to Mecca for the lesser hajj was said to have cut
short his trip and returned to honour the debate but his co-debaters failed to
show up.Continue..
The Director
of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the All Progressives Congress in the
state, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, in a statement said Omisore ran away from the debate.
The
statement read, “ The PDP’s gubernatorial candidate in the August 9 election in
Osun, Iyiola Omisore, squandered a golden opportunity to confront the incumbent
governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in a public radio debate when he ran away
from participating.
“The debate
was sponsored by the American-based International Republican Institute and put
together by the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation for a live transmission in
Osogbo. Saturday.
“Osun
citizens had waited with bated breath to hear Omisore articulate his accusations
against the governor on such issues as the debt profile of the state, the
school reform programme and the vexed issue of capital flight.
“But it
turned out to be almost an interview and not a debate because Omisore ran away.
“However,
Aregbesola advanced his arguments virtually without challenge that the best
thing to have happened in Osun since it was created are his programmes which
the PDP wants to destroy.”
Omisore had
earlier said that he was ready for a debate with Aregbesola but he expressed the
fear that the governor might physically assault him.
The media
aide of the LP candidate, Mr. Kayode Oladeji, when contacted said that his
principal did not shun the debate because he sent his running mate to represent
him at the debate.
Oladeji said
the LP candidate had a very urgent and equally important assignment he was
attending to hence the decision to send his running mate.
He said,
“Alhaji Akinbade still sent his running mate, Mr. Michael Adenipekun,to go and
represent him.
“He got
there but they said that they would not accept any representative so, it is not
right to say Akinbade shunned the debate, you cannot divorce the office of the
governor from the deputy cause they are running on a joint ticket.”
Omisore had
earlier said he was ready for a debate with Aregbesola but he expressed the
fear that the governor might physically assault him.
Omisore
said, “How can I be afraid of engaging him in a debate? But when argument is
being drawn between two unequal parties, the weaker of the two may result to
physical assault and harassment. We don’t want this to happen.
“Aregbesola
has not hidden the fact that he has personal hatred for me and people tell me
all sorts of lies he fabricates to disparage me. You don’t expect more than that
from a barely literate politician like him.
You remember
that Aregbesola presented O’level to INEC. So we need an assurance that Ogbeni
will not resort to physical assault if he is confronted with hard facts with
evidence.
“ Once we
are assured that decorum would be allowed and that our safety is guaranteed, I
am ready for the debate.”
Culled from
punch
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