Aspirant charges Nigerians to force Buhari out of hiding to face him in a presidential debate

Candidate for the 2019 presidential election, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has, once again, challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to a presidential debate to talk about his governments achievements ahead of the polls next year.

While speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Septemeber 10, 2018, Moghalu had said he's ready to debate the president, as well as the presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

He has now further reitrated his demand and dared the president again to stop hiding from Nigerians and discuss his achievements and policies with the citizens of the country.

Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said he won't accept to debate Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in light of rumours that he's been appointed to represent the president in debates.

The presidential candidate urged Nigerians to stop accepting the president's evasion tactics and take to the streets to demand that he appears in a presidential debate with him and other candidates.

He said, "I am calling on President Buhari, I'm challenging President Buhari to a debate. And when I say President Buhari, I mean President Buhari. I do not mean Vice President Osinbajo. Osinbajo should debate the vice presidential candidates.

"President Buhari cannot continue to hide from the Nigerian public. It has become the track record of his governance that he's not able to face Nigerians and explain to them his government and its policies. We only hear President Buhari talking to Nigerians from London or China, or from Germany. This is one clear demonstration of leadership failure when a leader cannot communicate with his citizens.

"I have read and seen that the APC has appointed Osinbajo to represent Muhammadu Buhari in debates. This is a fraud and I want it to be on record that it's a political fraud and Nigerian citizens should not accept it. We must hold President Buhari accountable, we elected him as president, not Osinbajo.

"Osinbajo cannot represent Buhari in a debate about the performance of Buhari's government. Buhari is not incapacitated; if he's incapacitated, he should tell us.

"Where in the civilised world does a president send his vice president to represent him in debates? Only in Nigeria and Nigerians are taking this type of thing. People should rise up in the streets and demand Buhari come out and face me and other presidential candidates in a debate.

"I'm throwing the gauntlet to him. I'm throwing the gauntlet to the PDP candidate - whoever the PDP candidate will be - I'm challenging the two of them to a debate."

Moghalu was recently elected the flag bearer of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) at the party's national convention at International Conference Centre, Abuja, on September 8, 2018.

How I'll revive Nigeria's economy - Moghalu

During a previous interview this week, Moghalu said Nigeria's economy is in shambles because the current leadership lacks the vision to conceptualise a coherent policy and execute it.

He said, "I offer something different, something bold, something new. The economy will be managed in a very different way when I become president of this country.

"You see, the secret of the success of the economy is economic philosophy. If you cannot conceptualise it, you cannot execute it. Nigeria's economy is just ad-hocism, writ large. One policy today, one policy tomorrow, there's no coherence or vision.

"I'm saying that the fundamental aspects of this country are not functioning properly and that is why poverty is so high.

"What I'll do differently. You manage the economy with a vision and there are three things that will make Nigeria's economy function very well and once I get into office as president, I'll begin to make sure those things are in place.

"Number one, property rights. Number two, innovation. Number three, capital. That's how a capitalist economy functions. Well, none of those three things exist in the Nigerian economy. How can the economy function well?"

The presidential candidate urged Nigerians to ditch the ruling All Progressives' Congress (APC) and the opposition PDP in 2019, noting that both parties are equally as bad for the country.