ARISE Presidential Town Hall Debate: Tinubu condemns Arise TV for enlisting him without his consent; Series Three to Focus on Education, Healthcare, Others
APC has expressed surprise that the TV station listed Tinubu as a participant without prior consultation with him.
The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has disclosed that the party’s flag-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will not honour the invitation of Arise Television to the third edition of the presidential town hall meeting.
The programme is staggered to host four presidential candidates of the 18 registered political parties ahead of next year’s general election.
Arise Television Channel will on Sunday, December 4 hold the third in the series of its presidential town halls, this time focusing on the candidates’ plans to revamp education and healthcare, alleviate poverty as well as the development of human capital.
The programme is expected to host the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the standard bearer of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.
Also billed to participate in the event is the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, who alongside others has confirmed their participation except for the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, who has been invited but has declined.
The event will be aired live on Nigeria’s favourite television station by 7 pm West African Time (WAT) in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) on the said date.
In addition, it will be held in partnership with Premium Times, Vanguard, Punch, Guardian, Daily Trust as well as Leadership Newspapers.
Furthermore, TheCable, New Telegraph, The Sun, The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors are expected to be active partners in the run-up to the event.
The town hall will be streamed across all the station’s social media platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, among others. It will also be broadcast on Sky Channel 519, DStv Channel 416 and Govt Channel 44.
Earlier, Arise Television played host to the candidates of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, that of the African Democratic Party (ADP), Yabagi Sani, his counterpart at the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) , Peter Umeadi and Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Series two, comprising the four candidates came after a similar town hall exactly one week after the first in the series – which featured Obi, Kwankwaso and Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the running mate, who represented Atiku at the event which focused on security and the economy.