Election: ‘Only multiple debates can impact on electorates’

Kingsley Chukwuka, Jos

A candidate contesting for seat in the House of Representatives to represent Jos North/Bassa federal constituency of Plateau State on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr. Vitalis Lanshima, has said politicians should embark on multiple debates if they want to make impact on the electorates. Lanshima, a sportsman whose two hands were amputated after a ghastly accident, also tasked electorates to drag politicians to multiple debates a platform where aspirants will convince voters on policies they intend to execute. The House of Representative aspirant who spoke recently while featuring on a political platform organised for candidates by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Plateau Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, expressed doubt whether debates actually impact on the electorate as a whole, adding that ordinarily it should. “In the United States starting from this month, you start hearing about election and each political party will have about 20 different election debates and that determines who comes to the top or the forefront but in Nigeria we don’t do enough and I would want the media to do that. “The media have to come together and begin to show the way and educate the people. So, having just one debate does not change anything because most times no one shows up. “But if you create a platform where you have multiple debates, three, four, five even seven debates, politicians can articulate so that candidates can choose from the various opportunities given to them. “Before elections, there should be election debates on manifestoes so that different political parties can debate their issues, debate on the reason why they should be given priority in the contest”. Lanshima, who had all his education abroad, said that the candidates should challenge one another the reason why they are contesting which he said unfortunately that would not happen. He said the refusal of the major political candidates to attend the debate forum would not affect their chances at all because according to him, “How many people watched the debate? One debate cannot change the mind of the people. You have to have a series of debates. Have multiple debates. Have the first one, second one and the third one, so that electorate can choose their preferred candidate.