The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress, APC, says its flag bearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will not honour the third edition of the presidential town hall meeting that’s organized by Arise Television.
This was contained in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media & Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Friday saying that the PCC is surprised that Arise TV station could listed Bola Tinubu as one of the participants when there was no prior consultation with him and his aides.
The third edition, which will focus on education, healthcare, poverty, and human capital, was expected to host Tinubu, standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; his counterpart in the Labour Party, Peter Obi and New Nigeria Peoples Party’s presidential hopeful, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The Town Hall Meeting is slated for December 4.
Recall that Atiku and his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, had during the week pulled out of ‘The Candidates’, a similar town hall meeting organised by Original Daria Media concept, MacArthur Foundation, YouTube and Nigerian Television Authority
However, Onanuga in a statement said that Tinubu did not give consent to the advertisement that’s being circulated across the media thereby warning Arise News to stop using Tinubu’s name or portrait in any of its advertisement.
“Our attention has been drawn to an advertisement by Arise News in connection with a Town Hall meeting scheduled for 4 December,” the statement read
“WE are surprised that the TV station listed our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a participant, when there was no prior consultation with him and his aides and no consent of the candidate obtained for the advertisement.
“We deem this as professionally wrong and reckless.No media organisation should arrogate to itself the right to railroad any candidate to fit into its own agenda.
READ ALSO:
- Gbajabiamila Cautions Critics Of Student Loans
- BREAKING: Appeal Court Reinstates Bwacha, Binani As APC Guber Candidates For Taraba, Adamawa
- Anwar Ibrahim Named New Malaysian PM
“As we said in an earlier statement, the busy and hectic campaign schedules of Asiwaju Tinubu will not permit him to honour all invitations from different radio and TV stations for debate and or Town Hall meetings hence our decision for him not to start with one media organisation and later ignore the others.
Onanuga further stressed that,the presidential candidate of APC had started speaking with Nigerians directly since the day President Muhammad Buhari officially launched the manifesto of Tinubu-Shettima presidency tagged”Renewed Hope”
He disclosed that,during the period till now,over Seven Town Hall Meetings had been conducted with strategic sectors across the geopolitical zones
“In the absence of a unified and mutually acceptable all parties and all candidates platform, our candidate has been speaking directly to Nigerians, since President Muhammadu Buhari launched Tinubu’s Action Plan for a Better Nigeria.
“Till date, over seven town hall meetings with strategic sectors have been held across the geopolitical zones, where the candidate and his running mate have spoken about their programmes.
“These direct engagements will continue before the election on 25 February 2023.
The PCC therefore urged Arise News to stop using it’s candidate’s name or frame in any of its advertisement.
“We therefore urge Arise News to stop using our candidate’s name or portrait in its advertisement, forthwith,” the statement added