By Myke Uzendu
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed an invitation by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to engage in a public debate, insisting that only presidential candidates are qualified to participate in such engagements.
Recall that Umahi had earlier challenged Obi to a public debate following criticisms exchanged over the performance of the current administration, particularly on infrastructure and governance. The minister said he was prepared to publicly defend the administration’s record and invited Obi to engage in a fact-based discussion.
Obi, while reacting to Umahi’s challenge on his Facebook page over the weekend, said the minister must first become a presidential candidate before seeking a debate with him.
According to Obi, presidential debates are reserved for candidates contesting the nation’s highest office and, even then, are usually limited to leading contenders.
“If Umahi now wants to invite me as a Presidential Candidate for a debate, he has to go and pick a form and become a Presidential Candidate,” Obi said.
Drawing an analogy with international football, Obi added that those who have not qualified for the main contest cannot challenge participants already in the competition.
“The World Cup is going on. You cannot be outside and not qualified and be inviting the team playing in the World Cup to come and play with you,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor stressed that his status as a presidential candidate distinguishes him from those not seeking the office.
“I am a Presidential Candidate and all over the world, it is not all Presidential Candidates that go for debates; it is the top ones. There is a qualification process.”
He further likened the situation to club football, saying it would be inappropriate for a lower-division team to challenge a top-flight club.
