By Samuel Olusegun Precious
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has declared that he will only participate in televised presidential debates ahead of the January 16, 2027 general elections if President Bola Tinubu agrees to appear.
Atiku’s conditional stance—conveyed through his campaign team—has sparked widespread public debate regarding the entrenched culture of political debate boycotts in Nigerian elections.
Despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) clearing 19 presidential candidates, President Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku of the ADC, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party remain the leading contenders. However, memory of the 2023 campaign season—where major candidates, particularly then-candidate Bola Tinubu, repeatedly shunned national debate platforms—continues to draw sharp criticism from voters and civil society organizations.
Political analysts note that unlike established democracies such as the United States and the United Kingdom, where televised leadership debates serve as a vital mechanism for voter scrutiny, Nigerian political figures have historically evaded such platforms without legal repercussions.
Atiku’s camp argued that organizing presidential debates involving only opposition candidates remains “untenable,” asserting that incumbent leadership must be held accountable alongside challengers.
The controversy has renewed calls from legal experts, election observers, and citizens for sweeping electoral reforms. Stakeholders are demanding constitutional amendments to make televised debates mandatory for all governorship and presidential candidates, arguing that unvetted leadership routinely leads to poor governance outcomes across election cycles.
