Elections Debate Group is APC agenda, Olawepo-Hashim insists
By excluding the presidential candidate of Peoples Trust (PT), Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, from the Presidential Debate by the National Elections Debate Group and Broadcasting Organisatio of Nigeria (BON), the organisers have shown the project as part of the agenda of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to interfere with the 2019 election.
Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim Campaign Organisation (GOHCO), which condemned the exclusion of their principal from the scheduled Presidential Debate, alleged that the method adopted in selecting candidates not only lacked objectivity, but also showed bias and underlined the anti-democratic agenda of APC.
In a statement by Mr. Hassan Ibrahim, spokesperson of the candidate, GOHCO disclosed that PT had long indicated interest to participate in the debate, but regretted the exclusion of its candidate despite the fact that he remains among the top three candidates from all surveys.
GOHCO contended that it is its hope that the debating group is not working in cahoots with the ruling APC to downplay the party’s strides with its spread across the country. It noted that PT and its presidential candidate, Mr. Olawepo-Hashim, recently emerged top among the nearly 28 newly registered political parties fielding candidates for political positions for next year’s presidential elections, with 194 persons running on its platform.

