The 2015 presidential debates will take place between January 28 and February 5, the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) has disclosed.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Sola Omole, chairman, board of trustees of the group, stated that the campaign directors of the 14 presidential candidates would kick off the debate on January 28.
Omole, who is also director-general of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), explained that the debate involving vice-presidential candidates was scheduled for January 29, while the grand finale, which is the debate for presidential candidates, was slated for February 5.
All the political parties had agreed to the schedule of the debates, which Omole described as “important for the democratic process”. “We believe that debates are very important components of the democratic process aimed at giving the candidates the opportunity to speak directly to Nigerians,” he said.
“We want the Nigerian community to get used to the business of debating issues and we feel that this is a very strong part of building that culture. “We have met with all the political parties, those we couldn’t meet directly, we contacted their senior officials and they are very supportive of the initiative.”
NEDG is a coalition of broadcast, civil society and professional organisations, committed to deepening the country’s democracy.