BAUCHI – A coalition of professional and civil society organisations in Bauchi, has concluded arrangements to organize debate for gubernatorial and senatorial candidates in the state.
The coalition, called “Bauchi Debate Group”, comprises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigeria Bar Association, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria and the Network of Civil Society Organisations.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Tuesday, Chairman of the Debate Group, Malam Dahiru Mohammed, said that the initiative was aimed at providing an opportunity for the people of the state to decide on the best candidate to elect.
“We intended to organize debates for gubernatorial and senatorial candidates in the state, as a way of improving the current space of political discourse, by putting on the table, issues that are crucial to the development of the state and country at large.
“Our intention is to steer the campaigns towards the direction of relevant issues and not personality attacks,” he said.
Mohammed, who is also the Chairman of Bauchi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said that the group was neutral and had no link with any political party, organization or individual.
“Our effort is purely voluntary. There is no sponsorship from any quarters .Members of the group taxed themselves to raise money needed for logistics,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the group has embarked on tour of media organisations in the state, to solicit for support in publicizing the debate, coming up on the 19th of March and 4th of April.
When the Group visited the Bauchi Zonal Office of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Zonal Manager, Malam Abdullahi Salihu, described the initiative as laudable.
He however advised the group to be as transparent and neutral as possible, so as not to arouse any suspicion of allegiance to any political party, organization or individual (NAN)